Verse 1. “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from
your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land
which I will show you;”
It’s not quite clear just when the words of this verse were uttered to “Abram” (exalted one) who was later to be called by the new
name “Abraham” (father of a multitude). His father,
Terah, had just died in the place called “Haran,”
and it seems likely from these verses that the Lord’s words to Abram were
uttered in that place. But Stephen quoted the words of this verse in Acts
Chapter Seven, revealing that they were given at least once “BEFORE”
Abram “dwelt in Haran” (Acts 7:2-3).
One possible way it happened was that the words were actually uttered
at least TWICE to Abram; once while the family was still south and east in Ur, the
family’s home in what is now southern Iraq, and again in Haran, near today's
borders of Iraq and Turkey; a place where they stayed for a considerable time.
Abram was told to leave “(your) father’s house” in Ur, which he did, but his
father and many others accompanied him. Now his father was gone from the earth
and after no doubt making arrangements for a memorial service and for their departure,
Abram left once
more. It is also possible that an original “call” from God was also given to Terah,
Abram’s father, for it says in Genesis 11:31 that “Terah
took his son Abram… and they went out with him from
Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and
dwelt there.” When Abram left Haran, by the way, he wasn’t alone, for
many, including his nephew, "Lot" (Verse 4), and his wife,
"Sarai" (Verse 5), went
with him.
Verse 2. “And I will make you a great nation, and I
will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing;”
Here is the great "blessing" given by God Himself to Abram, which extended
through his son, Isaac, his grandson, Jacob, who was later to be named Israel,
and it would bless the people who came to be called by Jacob’s new name.
It also extended
through time to the Messiah, the Christ of God. The earthly blessing
continues to this day, for once more the nation Israel is in that land. And God
is in the people who trust in the Lord. The
nation controlled by Israel is presently small in size, but it is much larger in the
mind of God and it will be larger in the future. The people of God are
always large in His thoughts. David would later speak words that apply to
us all: "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum
of them" (Psalm 139:17). He is thinking of you right now.
Israel truly is a “great nation,” for God
intends it to be that way. He will
keep his promise to this man, Abram, who was later to be called, Abraham. Under
that latter name, even before he was called “the father of a multitude”
(Abraham), God’s blessing was upon him. His “name” is indeed “great,” and he is
considered so by not only his Jewish descendants, but also the Muslim
nations and those in Christianity. He is a “blessing”
to all in history since that time, for “if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according
to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). He is “the father of all those who believe” in
Jesus Christ (Romans 4:11 & context).
God said to the man, Abram, “You shall be a blessing,” and it’s true. He is
indeed a great blessing and he is an encouragement to us all. God took this ordinary,
but faithful man who made mistakes like the rest of us and made him great, solely upon his
willingness to have faith in the Lord. He is our example, for God’s promise
extends to all who believe.
Verse 3. “And I will bless those who bless you, and the
one who curses you I will curse and in you all the families of the earth will be
blessed.”
Abraham is given to us as an example of how the men, women and children
of this world should live. Paul the Apostle referred to this man in places like
Galatians Chapter Three, where he commented, “those who are of FAITH are sons of
Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). Abraham, or Abram, as he was named at birth, was not
perfect, he did not know everything, and yet amazingly we find that he was
ACCEPTED by God. Paul quoted this verse in Genesis, saying, “Scripture,
foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel to
Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you, all the nations shall be blessed”
(Galatians 3:8).
Paul continued revealing how the promise to Abraham
extends to you and me: “So
then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Galatians 3:9).
Paul continued, addressing the “curse” of this verse in Genesis, “Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…” (Galatians
3:13). And he concluded “that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the
Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith” (Galatians 3:14).
Two concepts intimated in this verse in Genesis are immensely important: 1)
We should never defame or attack Israel, for that nation has been given the
Promise, the Blessing of God, and 2) we should place our trust in Christ Jesus,
for in Him, the promises to Abraham are extended to all who have faith in the
Lord.
Verse 4. “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to
him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he
departed from Haran.”
The phrase, “Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him,” reveals the
FAITH of this man of God. He was not merely an externally pious man; he TRUSTED
in the Lord and believed in His Word. Most people on earth, now and throughout
history, have simply ACTED! and when things start to go wrong with what they
did, THEN they call out to God. Others have prayed before acting, but
then became angry if He did not agree with what they wanted. Note that
“Abram” was not leaving Haran because of something he wanted, but instead
he went because God was leading him out. He did not question the Word of God; he just
departed.
His nephew, “Lot went with him,” and so did many others, but Lot is mentioned
here because of his importance to the narrative that will follow. “Abram was
seventy-five years old” when he left the area of Haran, near the present
Turkish/Iraqi border. His age was not great for that time. Even though life
spans were decreasing then, his father, Terah, lived “two hundred and five
years” (Genesis 11:32). Abram was indeed getting older, but he was not “old” in
the sense that 75 would be in today’s population. He was a vigorous man of
middle age.
Verse 5. “Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew,
and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they
had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came
to the land of Canaan.”
Abram now took his wife and family, along with everything they had, and left
Haran. He seems to have been told by God at this point approximately where he
would be going, for it says in this verse, “they set out for the land of
Canaan.” However, his understanding of the destination was not precise because Hebrews
11:8 reports that “he went out, not knowing where he was going.” That reference
may, on the other hand, be about what they knew at the moment when they
previously departed from Ur of the Chaldees. Certainly he did not head in
any direction except west at the moment, which would ultimately lead them to Canaan.
It says in this verse that “the persons which they had acquired in Haran”
went with them, which was likely a considerable group because in Chapter 14 we
find Abraham leading “his three hundred and eighteen trained servants” into
battle (Genesis 14:14). There is no doubt, as it says in Genesis 13:2, that
“Abram was very rich.” He had servants, cattle, possessions – the symbols of
wealth in that time were his. The danger for us is that we might conclude that
if we have faith in the Lord to the degree he did, we automatically will become
rich also. Jesus pointed out, however, “that it is hard for a rich man to enter
the kingdom” (Matthew 19:23). God does want to bless us, but for some, money is
an impediment to faith. The Lord Himself is our example, for in reaching out to
the poor of this world, He gave up everything; and Scripture said about the
example He provided – “Let this mind be in you which was
also in Christ Jesus,” who gave up everything for you and me
(Philippians 2:5).
Father, whether we are rich or poor, we trust in You.
Help us to respond to Your leading in faith, just as Abraham did. We commit our
lives to You and praise Your Holy Name. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study – Genesis 12:6-13
Verse 6. “Abram passed through the land as far as the
site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land.”
“Abram passed through,” or more literally, he “passed over” the land that God
was promising to him and his descendents. He now arrived at Shechem, the place
where in the future his grandson, Jacob, would buy land (Genesis 33:18-19).
Later, it also would be the place where his yet unborn granddaughter, Dinah,
would be seduced (Genesis 34:1-31). Shechem was located well south of the Sea of
Galilee, closer actually to the place that later in time was to be called the
Dead Sea. Shechem is west of the Jordan River and is between Mount Gerizim and
Mount Ebal, within what is now called the “West Bank.” The "oak of Moreh" was in
the plain of Moreh, a place mentioned by the Lord in a statement to Israel in
Deuteronomy 11:30.
Note in this verse that the people called by the name, “Canaanite” were, as a group, “in the land.” The Canaanites were “sons of Ham” (Genesis 10:6). Abraham
was descended from Ham’s brother, Shem. As the Lord willed for each of them, the two groups
had become genetically distinct from one another. Abram (Abraham), his family and
his followers would have seemed very different, somewhat strange in appearance
to the inhabitants of the land. As people are, they would have been viewed with
suspicion by the resident Canaanites.
Verse 7. “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your
descendants I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the Lord who
had appeared to him.”
Notice the difference between Abram’s prayers and those of just about
everyone else who is willing to pray. Most pray by telling God what they want.
The next step is often to become disappointed and/or angry when God unfolds the future in
a way that is different from what they want. Abram (Abraham) LISTENED to the
Lord, which seems to have been his way of responding to God. He listened, he received, he
believed and most of the time he then ACTED as the Lord led him. The Lord
is speaking to you also.
You might respond, as many do, “Well, I don’t think the Lord is speaking to
me!” But He is. Jesus called out, “Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do
you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?” (Mark 8:18). The problem of
humanity is that people don’t hear because they/we often don’t want to. Most want to
solve their OWN problems, whereas God says, “TRUST in Me.” We reply with a kind
of hysterical “deafness.” Abram, on the other hand, believed the Lord, who said,
“To your descendants I will give this land.” The man responded by building an
altar, which was his way of expressing belief in the Word of the Lord.
And note that by the Lord’s word to him at just that moment, Abram was able
to see with more assurance that he had gone to the right place – he was in the right “land.” This
was the SECOND known appearing (“theophany”) by the Lord to this man, for he
previously had experienced another such "theophany" when he was still in Mesopotamia, in Ur, before he dwelt in Haran (Acts
7:2).
Verse 8. “Then he proceeded from there to the mountain
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.”
Abram went west from Shechem (Verses 6 and 7), and proceeded south to a
relatively higher elevation between the cities of Bethel to the west and Ai to
the east. The word “proceeded” or “removed” in other translations, literally is
“to be broken up,” meaning that he ordered his previous campsite at Shechem to
be “broken up” – the tents were disassembled and packed. On arrival, the tents
and other gear were reassembled and his small, nomadic city of tents was in
place once more.
The town of Bethel, by the way, was still called "Luz" at that time, as
you can
see in Genesis 28:19 and its context. By the time Moses wrote these words in
Verse 8,
the place had received its new name. Abram now “built an altar to the Lord.” He
recognized God’s hand in all that was occurring, as we also should in our own
lives. Note that
when we truly place our faith in the Lord, which is our most important act in
life, then He will accept our honest religious activities.
Verse 9. “Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the
Negev.”
Now the nomadic Abram and his community continued traveling south and east
toward what is called the “Negev” or “Negeb,” an arid region to the south of
what later came to be known as the country of Judah. The place was already considered
to be a
specific region, as reflected by the words in this verse: “the Negev.” It also
was given the name, “the South,” as seen in places like Numbers 13:22, where the
twelve scouts spied out the land by way of the "South." This was the place where
Hagar would encounter the angel when she fled from Abram’s wife (Genesis 16:7,
14). Both Isaac and Jacob would dwell there (Genesis 24:62, 37:1). It was part
of the original territory of the Amelekites (Numbers 13:29). At the time of this
verse, Abram, not knowing about all the future events that would be associated
with this place, “journeyed on… toward the Negev.”
Verse 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.”
“There was a famine in the land.” We’ve all wondered about the disasters that
come into the world. Does God cause them? If so – why? And if He doesn’t, is
much that happens in this universe subject to just blind chance? In these
verses, we catch a glimpse of the forces that shaped the life of Abram, who was
later to be known as Abraham. In this verse, we find him leaving the place God
had promised him and going to Egypt because of a “famine in the land.”
Did God know about this famine? Did He cause it or allow it, as part of the
journey that would reveal and shape the destiny of Abram? Note that the events
in our lives reveal who we really are. We find, in the “famine(s)” of this
world, things about ourselves and others that would never see the light of day,
except for the events that force them to emerge. In this verse we do not find
words suggesting that God led the man to Egypt. Did Abram pray before he went?
Perhaps, but the text doesn’t show that he did. He went, simply because “the
famine was severe in the land.”
Verses 11-13. “It came about when he came near to
Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, ‘See now, I know that you are a beautiful
woman; and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife'; and
they will kill me, but they will let you live. “Please say that you are my
sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on
account of you.”
Abram had been “seventy-five years old” when he left Haran and his wife, Sarai, was about sixty-five at that time (Genesis 12:4-5). Some time had passed,
possibly a few years, and you have to wonder how a woman who was about seventy
could be so alluring. The answer is that the people of that time were still
aging much more slowly than they do today. Abram was born when his father was
seventy (Genesis 12:26), which was not unusual. Sarai was in the prime of life
and Abram really did have something to worry about because he was in a place
where his own men were badly outnumbered and members of the royalty at the time
typically felt it was their right to take whoever or whatever they wanted; by
force if necessary.
It is interesting that Abram acted in such a manner, not only this time, but
he would do it again, as we will see in Genesis Chapter 20. In that place, we
will learn that Sarai was not only his wife, but she was also his half-sister
(Genesis 20:11-12). The other interesting information is what is NOT in these
verses – Just like Abram’s trip to Egypt was not because of any prayers for God
to lead him, we also do not find Abram in prayer about his decision to conceal
the fact that Sarai was his wife. He simply said it and did it, apparently
without consulting God. Abram was a notable man of faith, but he was also like the rest of us – sometimes acting first without seeking the Lord in prayer and then
expecting God to rescue him when things went wrong.
Father, we place our faith in You and understand that
You really are speaking to our lives through the Word of God, circumstances, and
in more ways than we can imagine. Heal our deafness and let us hear.
Forgive us and heal us of acting before we pray. Thank You. In Jesus
Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study – Genesis 12:14-20
Verses 14-15. “It came about when Abram came into
Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. Pharaoh's officials
saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's
house.”
The Lord had already intimated to Abram that he and Sarai would become
parents in their old age. That is seen in Genesis 12:2, where God promised the
man, “I will make you a great nation…” And now, just like Abram had feared, Sarai, who must have been “very beautiful” indeed, was seen by “Pharaoh’s
officials… (and)… taken into Pharaoh’s house.” Sarai was now in a place where
she could not escape, her husband could not rescue her, and she likely would
have been there for the rest of her life if the Lord did not intervene.
Not only was she in trouble, but Abram’s lack of prayer and his action in
misrepresenting her, also placed God’s Word into jeopardy. The Lord’s intention
for this couple was made clear in places like Genesis 17:19, when it would be
told to the man, “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son…” These actions of the
past might have placed doubt into the minds of Abram and Sarai’s contemporaries
about who the father might really have been. The lesson here is that we should
give some thought to what we are doing, and then PRAY before we act. God would
have unfolded their lives differently, if Abram and Sarai had prayed before
disguising her true status and causing her to enter into harm’s way.
Verse 16. “Therefore he treated Abram well for her
sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and
female donkeys and camels.”
It’s interesting that even though Abram had acted in response to the “famine
(that) was severe in the land” (Verse 10), the decision apparently was not made
as the result of some kind of fervent prayer. Apparently this faithful man
failed to pray before he opened his mouth to the king of Egypt. But also note
that even though Abram had just placed his wife, Sarai, into Pharaoh’s harem,
God, through Pharaoh, “treated Abram well for her sake.” Abram was given “sheep
and oxen and donkeys” and more. Note that God’s Word is good. Unlike most
people, who keep their word if it is convenient for them, God ALWAYS keeps His
promises.
The Lord SAW the faith of Abram, that the man believed in the Lord, trusting
in His good intentions, and God honored the honest faith in him. God is faithful
and having promised to Abram, “I will bless you…” (Genesis 12:2), He did. We
need to do our best, for when we have faith in the Lord, we become God’s
representatives on this earth. And yet, from a human perspective, our “best”
often tends to NOT be good enough. And yet God, whose best IS more than good
enough, will make up the difference through HIS faithfulness, and BLESS those
who merely place their trust in Him. Abram was human like you and me. God saw
the man’s faith, however, and blessed him because of the belief, trust and
living faith that existed in him.
Verse 17. “But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house
with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.”
In Genesis 12:2-3 and its context, we find a number of promises made to the
faithful man, Abram. He was not a perfect man in his attitudes and actions – he was a man of faith. As it says in Hebrews Chapter 11 and forward,
“By FAITH Abraham…” responded to the Lord and obeyed Him. We are not perfect,
either, and we can be encouraged by both the faith and outward lack of
perfection seen in Abraham, for Scripture teaches that “those who are of faith
are sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). As to those promises in Genesis 12:2-3, we
can read God’s words to him: “I will bless you…” and then the Lord continued in
Verse 3 – “I will curse him who curses you.”
Note, by the way, that what we call “natural disasters,” such as the severe
“famine” that brought Abram to Egypt in the first place (Verse 16), and the
“great plagues” of this verse, were actions of God in carrying out His will.
God’s warning and blessing through the man was already being expressed in
Pharaoh’s “house,” as it would be expressed in the lives of others who later
encountered this man who was soon to be renamed, “Abraham.” Through his fear,
Abram had allowed his wife, Sarai, to enter into jeopardy. Many of us have acted
incorrectly in our lives and we know it. What we may not see are the times when
we and our loved ones were rescued and restored by the Lord in spite of our
blunders.
Verses 18-19. “Then Pharaoh called Abram and said,
‘What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your
wife?’ 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.’"
These events occurred in roughly 2000 BC. We don’t truly know how long it had
been since the Great Flood struck the earth, but the events were sufficiently
recent in the minds of those who lived at that time, so that they could not deny
God or His power, as people often do today. Pharaoh was likely not a godly man,
as Abram was. In other words, he was likely not a man of faith in the Lord. But
some actions of God were so imprinted on the minds of all who lived then, that
the Flood, the man Noah, and the ark he built were fresh and alive in the
memories of mankind. Pharaoh and likely most people of that time believed that
God exists and He judges sin. But then like now, believing in the reality of God
is not the same as entrusting your life to Him. Belief is part of what faith is,
but there is more.
Abram’s action in concealing his true relationship with Sarai, was a mistake;
it was wrong. People often make mistakes as he did, going to the wrong places
and acting in the wrong manner. Then we become helpless because we are in a
place where we should not be, and we do not know what to do. Pharaoh was very
concerned that serious problems had come into his kingdom and he wanted to know
what was causing them. Somehow, the true relationship of Sarai to Abram was
revealed to him. They may well have interrogated Sarai and others, and she
finally admitted who she really was. In any event, Pharaoh found out, returned
her to Abram, and had them escorted out of that land, as we will see in the next
verse.
Verse 20. “Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him;
and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.”
A very interesting verse that throws light on this section of Scripture is
found in Proverbs 21:1 – “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the
rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” The Lord did not condemn
Abram, the man of faith; He simply restored him, his wife and his situation, by
turning “the king’s heart” into the direction of the will of God. We should all
learn to pray in every situation, as Abram no doubt had now been praying,
confessing his wrong actions and asking for help; for God is fully capable of
changing the mind of those who are at the center of your problems. Note
that Pharaoh probably would have had Abram killed on the spot, except that he
recognized the hand of God in these events and was afraid that worse troubles
would come to him if he did.
In this situation, Sarai, Abram’s wife, was quickly restored to him. The
reunited couple were essentially thrown out of the land of Egypt, but they did
not care; they just went, and no doubt, carried the “sheep
and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels”
of Verse 16, that Pharaoh had given Abram as a dowry for Sarai. The “grace” of
God is often described as the “unmerited favor” of God. He gives far more than we
deserve, to those who didn’t earn it, simply in response to our “faith” in the
Lord. As it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest
anyone should boast.”
Father, fill our hearts and our lives with a faith
that is as deep as Abraham's belief, his trust in the Lord. We commit
ourselves to You, trusting in Your might and in Your love. We praise Your
Holy Name. In Jesus Name. Amen.
