Genesis 12
March 12, 2010
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Bible Passage: Genesis 12
“Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you” – Verse 1
Can you just imagine if one day, God were to tell you these exact words that He told Abram?
It’s just like suddenly you were told to leave Singapore (or wherever you are reading this post from and are living there), from the people you know and love, from the place you’re so comfortable with, and then going to the unknown. I don’t know… Maybe you’re gonna go to some place like Antarctica or maybe even Timbuktu (don’t ask me why I thought of that), unless you’re from there that is… Who knows..
Well I could imagine this was about the same case for Abram (except there was no Antarctica or Timbuktu). But as you can see from verse 4 onwards, Abram didn’t seem to hesitate at all. He just went!
Furthermore, God also told him these words:
“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – Verses 2-3
Quite a heavy promise to make to someone, isn’t it? But then again, don’t forget.. This is a promise, not just from some ordinary shmoe. This was the promise made from the Almighty God. And Abram knew that God’s promises will definitely be fulfilled because… Well simply put, it’s from God. God never fails to keep His promises, and Abram had absolute faith in that. And that’s why Abram departed from Haran (verse 4).
Do we have that type of faith like Abram did? Although we might be believers of God and the true church, do we truly have faith and believe in His promises?
His promise to give us the precious Holy Spirit. His promise of salvation for us. His promise that He will come again. All of these are promises (and more) that, by right as Christians, we ought to know firmly that they are true and will come to pass, because they are from God. But, it is kinda sad to know that seeds of doubt are existent in some believers (of course, I have no idea who, and more importantly, I do hope that I’m very wrong)..
Once again, thinking about this reminded me of another hymn. And that is hymn 497, His Promise To Me (the chorus just kept on ringin’ man). And with it, a verse too:
The Lord is not slack concerning His promises, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. – 2 Pet 3: 9
(A definition of slack: A showing of laziness or negligence)
In other words, God never forgets His promise to us (and certainly ain’t lazy..). He certainly wasn’t slack towards the great covenant He made with Abram, and Abram, likewise, knew that God wouldn’t forget.
Likewise, He won’t forget about the promises He had made to us. He’ll definitely do His part. But we must also do ours.. And that’s to keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 26: 18)..
May we all have the faith that Abram had shown in this chapter, and in the future chapters that we will be studying in due time.
Now the LORD had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family and from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you,
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you and make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse those who curse you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen 12:1-3)
Why did Abram move?reason 1 bec God spoke to him.
Any other reasons? reason 2 he wanted his name to be great. reason 3 he wanted to flourish into a great nation.
Reason 1 is most important to Abram.
Reason 4 is more important than reason 2 and 3.
What is reason 4?
Reason 4 is in Abram all families of the earth shall be blessed.
Abram moved at God’s instruction bec he understood that God wanted to accomplish His work through him.
Gen 12: 7 …Abram built an altar to the LORD, who appeared to him.
Gen 12:8 …there Abram built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
What kind of person do you see Abram as?
To me, Abram was one who walked with God. Like Enoch. Like Noah.
Like Paul. Abram had been entrusted with a stewardship and woe to him if he did not accomplish the will of God.
What is our stewardship?
Reading PS’s imaginative comment in yesterday’s passage about how possibly Abram had learned about faith at the feet of Noah made me chuckle (: But it also gave me pause of thought.
How did Abram come to know God? How did he start to build up his faith and walk with God when it was obvious those around him did not share the same ‘walk and talk’?
And what made God choose him? Was it because God saw potential in him? Was it because he was more sincere in his worship of Him?
What? Where? When? Why? How?
So many questions came buzzing in my mind…
As I was thinking about this… I realised that actually all of that was not important. Cause here we see the clear evidence of the Grace of God working.
It is purely through the Grace of God that Abram was called. But there has to be accompanied by the faith of Abram to act upon the grace given by God.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”
Eph 2:8
A lot of us have been born into Christian families and have been brought up in Church our whole lives. Some of you are converts.
I cannot help but imagine sometimes what it feels like to be called to believe from being a gentile.
I guess it is very much like Abram isn’t it? To have the conviction, the courage and the faith to follow God’s call to depart from your old way of life to a new life in Him.
Scary and yet…so wonderful because there awaits the promised land before you.
I am not expressing it very clear here but what I want to say is this….
Abram’s calling is a story of grace. We too have our stories of grace.
Learn to treasure our calling (whether you are born into the family like Isaac or you are called out of the world like Abram).
Remember how God called us into His marvelous light.
Remember the promise of His promised land for us.
Then this will surely help, strengthen and comfort us in our walk towards the heavenly kingdom, day by day (: