The Call Of Abraham (11:27-12:9)
Tonight, our study in Genesis will take a major shift. After studying the development of creation and humanity, the introduction of sin, the flood, and the development of the nations in Genesis 1-11, we are introduced to Abraham. Now, it might be worth mentioning Abraham's (or Abram's) entry into Canaan likely occurred sometime between 2100 and 1875 B.C. And, as I said, turning to his story presents a major shift in Genesis. Eleven chapters have been dedicated to everything from creation to the development of the nations. The rest of Genesis will follow his family.
Remember, God had told the serpent:
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15)
Immediately after that promise, Eve began waiting for the serpent-crusher to come. And it will be through Abraham's line that the Promised One would come. Let's read:
Terah's Family (11:27-32)
27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.
Remember, in the earlier genealogies, we learned Terah is a descendent of Noah's blessed son Shem (11:10, 27). Terah had three sons, Abram, Nahor, and Haran (27). Since Haran's son Lot will be part of Abraham's story, he is also mentioned (27). According to Joshua, Terah was an idolater who served other gods (Joshua 24:2).
28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 And Abram and Nahor took 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 Iscah. 30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 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. 32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.
Setting The Stage
Though interpreters and scholars vary in their understanding of each geographic location, the text is focused on the furthering of the story. There are a few plot developments in this passage that help set the stage for the story to come.
First, we learn that Ur of the Chaldeans was the birthplace of Terah's sons, including Abram (28). This will become an important part of the story, because of the Chaledean connection to Babylonia, which is associated with Babel, which we studied earlier in Genesis 11. There, the people formed a religious center with the aim of sticking together, rather than spreading out in obedience to God's commission. This city of Babel became the great anti-city of Scripture. It is emblematic of man-made religion, views which believe man can attain to the divine. Babel, and every religion that has followed its model, is an anti-cross, anti-gospel, anti-Jesus message. And Abraham was called to leave that anti-God pagan world and society.
Second, we learn that Abram's wife, Sarai, was barren; she had no child (30). This detail will play heavily into the story to come. God will promise Abram descendants, but his wife seems unable to have children. Their faith will be tested. They will fail the test, with terrible consequences, but God will give them grace. Eventually, Sarai (who becomes Sarah) will have a child.
Third, we learn of an implied struggle to obey God. How so? Well, we learn that before Terah died, he took Abram, Lot (his grandson), and Sarai from Ur to go into the land of Canaan (31). Rather than go all the way to Canaan, however, when they came to Haran, they settled there (31). So they were on the way to Canaan but decided to settle in Haran instead. Later, in Acts, Stephen makes it clear this was a battle for obedience and allegiance to God (Acts 7:1-4). In other words, Abraham was called out of Ur to Canaan but only went to Haran. It wasn't until later he fully departed and went to the place God had for him. It was half-way obedience.
This is God's pattern for us, by the way. He calls us out, but also to. Let's be a people who go all the way in our obedience to him. Let's leave what we're called to leave, but also go where we're called to go. Or, to put it this way, let's stop doing all Scripture asks us to stop doing. But let's also start doing all Scripture asks us to start doing.
The Call (1)
1 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.
The Call To Go
The passage tells us the Lord spoke to Abram (1). We aren't told how God spoke to Abram, nor does it tell us why God chose to call this man (1). I think it is unwise, though, to use this passage as an example of divine election for salvation. Abram received this call of God, not for eternal salvation, but to be a blessing to the nations. It was not until later that he believed the Lord's promise that he would have innumerable offspring that God counted it to him as righteousness (15:6). At that point, Abram was justified by faith. Here, he is merely called to go from his country and family and father's house to the land God would show him (1).
The Land
We should also notice the first appearance of God's promise regarding the land (1). This will become a dominant theme, as we'll see in this chapter. God will promise this land to Abram's seed (7). Abram will build altars to the LORD in this land (7, 8). Here, God said he would show Abram the land (1). So the whole narrative, in a sense, is about the land God said he would give to Abram and his offspring. It was in this land God would reveal his glory through Israel. They were supposed to reach out from there to nations. And, one day, Jesus Christ would be born, live, and die in the land. Because of this, the land would be a source of great blessing to all nations.
The Blessing (2-3)
2 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. 3 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.”
Theocentric Interpretation
It becomes immediately obvious that God is the one who will fulfill this covenant with his man, Abram. Over and over again in the passage, God says, "I will..." (1-3). This is a theocentric covenant. Even though Abram is called to obey God, God is portrayed as the first mover. He acts. He moves. He initiates.
Remember this when it comes to your own experience and walk with God. He is active. He initiates. He pursues. And there is much he will do for his people -- therefore it makes good sense to obey and follow him. Like jumping into a flowing river, Abram would jump into God's flow through obedience. We should also see God as moving on our behalf. Let's jump into his stream of activity through obedience.
A Great Nation, Name, And Blessing
And if Abram left Ur, God would do three things for him. First, God would make of Abram a great nation (2). Second, God said he would bless Abram. Third, God would make Abram's name great (2).
All this would be done so that he would be a blessing, which we'll talk about in a moment (2). But note what God said he would do for Abram. He would turn him into a great nation, meaning the nation of Israel. He would also bless him. And he would make Abram's name great. And God has done all three.
But remember, here, the citizens of Babel. They wanted to become a great people or nation. They wanted the blessing of the heavens. And they said, Let us make a name for ourselves (11:4). But, though they sought all this for themselves, they became a dispersed people, cursed by God, and a blight on human history. The name they wanted they did not receive.
But now Abram comes along. He is not presented as striving for a name. He isn't trying to be known or famous or widely esteemed. But God declares he will make him into a blessing of a man whose name is great (2).
We often spend so much time building our own kingdoms, only to see them crumble. Abraham shows us, however, a different way of life. One where we obey and God makes us a valuable blessing, and therefore people of a great name. The significance so many people crave is actually found in the counter-intuitive path of submission to God. He then redeems our lives for his purposes and glory.
All The Families Of The Earth Shall Be Blessed
But God had other blessings to pronounce upon Abram. He said, "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" (3).
This was God's original plan. Adam was supposed to lead to the blessing of all nations. All peoples were to be blessed by Adam's walk with God. Humanity was meant to know and enjoy their creator, and Adam's life was to beget more life. Unfortunately, his disobedience led to a curse. Abram's obedience, however, was going to lead to a blessing for all nations.
Ultimately, this promise to Abram was fulfilled in Jesus. It is only through him all the families of the earth can be blessed (3). From Abraham's line came Jesus, and his death and resurrection blesses anyone who believes in him (Romans 9:5). As Paul said:
"And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” (Galatians 3:8, ESV).
Obedience Leads To Blessing
Through this whole passage, God's plan is presented in the form of chain reactions. Obedience to God leads to a chain reaction of God's blessing. As I said earlier, God's blessing is like a flowing river. Obedience enables us to jump into his flow.
And that's how Abram's life works. God gave him two commands, followed by three blessings or promises.
Command #1: Go from your country to the land I will show you (1). If he did, God would (1) make him into a great nation, (2) bless him, and (3) make his name great.
Command #2: He was to live as a blessing to others (3). If he did, God would (1) bless those who bless Abram, (2) curse those who dishonor him, and (3) bless all the families of the earth through him.
This was important for Israel to read about. Obedience leads to great blessing. They were called out of Egypt, and there were times that obedience was costly and hard. They needed to trust that their obedience was going to lead to great blessing.
We need to know the same. Though we aren't called to move to a foreign land like Abram and Israel were, we are called to obey the Lord. And we should know obedience leads to blessing.
For instance, what happens within you when you read a passage like 1 Thessalonians 4:3:
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;” (1 Thessalonians 4:3, ESV).
Some will cringe when reading that command of God. Abstain from sexual immorality?! What a terrible life!
But others will understand it as a pathway to great blessing. They will see it as a protective word from God. He wants us to obey him, and when we do, great blessing follows.
Let's move on in the passage to discover whether Abram obeyed or not.
The Obedience (4-9)
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5a And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.
Abram's Obedience
The central idea of this passage is the obedience of Abram. After receiving the promise of God, along with the command of God, Abram went, as the Lord had told him (4). The text is forceful in describing Abram's actions -- he went (4), he departed from Haran (4). He set out to go to the land of Canaan (5). He did not leave because it was what nomadic peoples do, but to obey God. God spoke, and Abram immediately headed out on this 500 mile, one month journey from Haran to Canaan.
He is portrayed as acting like Noah, doing everything God commanded him. The Lord had told him to go out, so he did (4). All this was done as an act of obedience to God, and his example would've stood out to Israel, and should stand out to us. The simple and straightforward word of God, especially when he tells us to separate from our old life, should be obeyed. Israel had to leave Egypt. We have to leave the life of sin. Obedience is key.
Abram's Age
The passage also says that Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed (4). This is seen as a point of tension in the plot. God promised Abram and Sarai descendants. She is barren. He is old. How will God bring his promise to pass?
As for the life-spans of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), they are basically double ours. As we move through the rest of Genesis, you can halve their age to get a contemporary idea of what they would've looked and felt like at that time. For example, we might envision a seventy-five year old Abram as similar to a modern man in his mid-thirties.
The People They Had Acquired
The passage tells us Abram went with Sarai his wife, but also with Lot his brother's son (5). They took all their possessions that they had gathered (5). But, interestingly, they also took all the people that they had acquired in Haran when they set out to go (5). Who are these people that they had acquired?
These people are likely not slaves because the Hebrew word for the people would not be used to describe slaves. It does not refer to their children, for Abram and Sarai still had no children since she was still barren. Many see this as a phrase regarding proselytes Abram had made as he introduced people to the LORD. Quite possibly, Abram has already begun sharing his faith with others.
So, Abram, his family, and his people left Haran and headed to the land of Canaan (5). Let's read on:
5b When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
The Land
When we read this passage, not much stands out to us. But there are some major themes embedded here.
First, though God has promised land to Abram, when he arrives in the land of Canaan, he finds it occupied (5-6). It says, at that time the Canaanites were in the land (6). This is meant to be jarring for the reader, especially the ancient Israelites who were on their way to the land of Canaan, the promised land. Just as it was for Abram, the land was occupied upon their arrival. But God had still designated it for his people.
And this theme is furthered when God tells Abram, To your offspring I will give this land (7). Now Abram (and the Israelite readers) know the land was destined for Israel, not Canaan.
The Canaanites
Another thing to notice is the way the passage describes the Canaanites (6). Remember, after the flood, it was Noah's grandson Canaan who was cursed. And the abhorrent practices of Canaan's father, Ham, the one who uncovered Noah's nakedness, seem to have been passed down from generation to generation. Here, Abram comes to the oak of Moreh, then the Lord appeared to him, and he built there an altar to the Lord (7). What is the meaning of all these events?
It is possible, if not likely, that the oak of Moreh served as a Canaanite shrine where idolatry was practiced, and idolatrous teaching was given. The word Moreh means teacher, so this may have been a place Canaanite priests declared oracles and where abominable practices were passed off as worship.
But Abram didn't engage with the Canaanite practices. Instead, he worshipped the Lord, the true God. He became a model of everything the Canaanites should've been. Many centuries before the Israelites drove out the Canaanites, Abram served as a true teacher to the Canaanite people. His sacrifice said, There is one God. Worship him alone.
But, even though God promised the land to Abram's offspring, it was not time for him to personally partake of that promise. Because the Canaanites already inhabited the land, and because Abram needed land for his flocks, God's man had to move on.
8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
Note On Shechem, Bethel, And Ai
All the place names mentioned in this episode have a bearing on the future story for Israel. Shechem and Bethel will become significant sacred sites later on in Israel. And Ai will become a place of failure. But all of them will tie into the story later on, either in Genesis or in Joshua.
The Negeb
This movement concludes with Abram journeying on all the way toward the Negeb (or Negev, 9). It was a land suitable for the grazing flocks and herds.
An Altar Of Preaching
But, before moving on, we should note Abram's worship. When he arrived at the hill country on the east of Bethel, he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord (8). This is Abram, an altar builder. It was an ancient form of expressing gratitude and devotion. It does not tell us if he offered sacrifices, but that is the common assumption.
The text says Abram called upon the name of the Lord at that altar (8). It is an expression referring to the public proclamation of faith in the Lord. It speaks of prayer and praise throughout the Bible. In this context, though, it is likely more closely aligned with preaching. Abram was preaching at that altar, or with that altar, telling his world about the God he worshipped.
This is how we're meant to see Abram: he's a man who obeyed and worshipped God even though the societies he found himself in did not know or revere God. And his allegiance to God would bring blessing to the whole world. Through him, all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
The believer, it seems, has a similar mission. We are called to believe, obey, and worship our Lord, all with the aim of becoming a blessing to the world as we preach the gospel message. We are to, like Abram, demonstrate true worship in our confused cultures, trusting that God will take care of our futures.
The Sojourn In Egypt (12:10-20)
10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”
The Famine
This next development is meant to shock the reader. We just left an episode where Abram acted in faith, believing God's marvelous promise that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. He trusted God's promise that he would give Abram a special land where his family could flourish. Now, there is a famine in the land, the very land of God, and Abram seems to lose his mind (10). Because of the severe nature of the famine, Abram decides to sojourn in Egypt, because they were more immune to a lack of rain due to the seasonal flooding of the Nile River (10). Clearly, everything is on the line. Is God able to provide for his people? Is God's promised land suitable for survival? Isn't Egypt better?
The Fear
But, again, this is shocking. Our fearless man succumbed to fear. So much so, he told Sarai his wife, a woman of beautiful appearance, to tell everyone she was Abram's sister, not his wife (11-13). This was a half-truth because they were related by blood, but his interest was not in telling a partial truth, but in saving his own life. He wanted her to say she was his sister, that it may go well with him because of her, and that his life may be spared for her sake (13).
How would Sarai saying she was Abram's sister save Abram's life? He probably thought of the Egyptians as capable of the thuggish murder of a beautiful woman's husband. But he also thought they would've negotiated for the hand of a beautiful woman with those responsible for her. Posing as Sarai's brother, Abram might've thought they would approach him to negotiate, and that he could drive such a hard bargain that neither would be harmed.
14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
Sarai Taken
Abram thought he had everything covered, but his scheme did not account for Pharaoh. If anyone else wanted Sarai, Abram had the hope of a stiff negotiation. But Pharaoh would not negotiate. He would simply take. He did treat Sarai's supposed "brother" well, though, blessing Abram with sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels (16).
This is meant to be alarming. God promised Abram and Sarai descendants. But now she is the wife, or part of the harem, of Pharaoh. And is Abram going to be bought off with riches? Will his new possessions keep him from the one person he needed in order to experience God's promises? What is going to happen!?
17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
The Lord's Protection
God would not allow his promise to Abram to become corrupted. Before Pharoah had a chance to know Sarai sexually, before she was prepared as a full member of his harem, the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues (17). Soon, Pharaoh figured out the ruse and returned Sarai to Abram before he had a chance to consummate his marriage to Sarai. Crisis averted.
What do we learn here? God fulfills his promises no matter what. He has a plan, a purpose, and he will get the job done. When Abram is made powerless by Pharaoh, God demonstrates his power over Pharaoh. Nothing can stop God.
Parallelism
When Israel read this story, they would've noticed parallels in their own experiences in Egypt. Their encounter with Egypt began with a famine that drew Jacob and his family into Egyptian territory. Abram went to Egypt for the same reason.
Abram feared he would die while Sarai would live as a captive wife. The Israelites lived through a time when all the baby boys were targeted for death by the Egyptian government.
Abram experienced God's deliverance through plagues God brought ontoPharoah and his house, something every Israelite reader had just witnessed in the ten plagues God brought during Moses' day.
And when Abram departed from Egypt, it was with great wealth, something the Israelites experienced as Egyptian people did everything they could to fund their sojourn. Please leave permanently, the Egyptians wished.
So Abram's story stood as one of great anticipation for the Israelites. God had plans for them. He protected Abram. He protected them. He had a promised place for them.
The Lie
Before moving on in the story, we must consider the message. Multiple times, as we'll see in future studies of Genesis, Abram and his offspring will turn to dishonest means as a method of self-preservation. This story will, unfortunately, repeat itself. Abraham will commit this same sin of lying about Sarai in another later passage. Then his son, Isaac, will do the same. In this episode, though telling a half-truth might've appeased Abram's troubled conscience, lying in this way was not his best moment.
And as Israel read the account of Genesis, they'd discover that all did not actually end well from Abram. Though he left Egypt a wealthy man, he also likely acquired Hagar as a servant while in Egypt. She became a threat to the promise God gave Abram. In other words, everything was thrown into jeopardy because of Abram's fear-based decision making.
So Israel would learn that fear-based decision making is not an ally to the child of God. They would need bold faith when entering the Promised Land, just as we need confidence in God to live out his plans for us today. We cannot fear what might happen to us. Instead, we must not compromise at any price and simply obey him. Like little children, we must trust our father.
"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Luke 18:17, ESV).
Shouldn't this show us that manipulation is not the way forward into the blessings of God? Shouldn't this story encourage us to trust him more?