Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let’s just praise the Lord

Admit it, if grew up in church you just sang those words and now the tune will be stuck in your head all day long!  But the truth is, God called Abram, gave him a new name Abraham, and then did exactly what the song said—God made Abraham the Father of the nation of Israel! “Many sons had Father Abraham…”

But first, Abram had to do his part, obey God’s call. Abram had to leave all he knew and go with God.  “So Abram went…”.  God blessed Abram to be a blessing as he trusted and obeyed God. But in his human nature, there were “hiccups” of faith following along the way.  May we learn from Abram as we read with hearts, minds, and souls guided by God’s Holy Spirit who leads us to all that is true.

Genesis 12

The Call of Abram

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household 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.”^[b]

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. ⁵ He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, 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.

Abram in Egypt

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. ¹¹ As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. ¹⁵ And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Randy and I understand the call of God to leave home and all that you have known.  We have learned that life is harder not doing what God says because HE knows what lies ahead and we do not.  We “fly blindly” into the work if we only answer God’s call but do not consult God at each step of the journey.  The “call” includes surrender to God to trust and obey—wherever HE leads. 

We’ve all heard what other believers have experienced, “God does not call the equipped but equips the called.”  We must be careful not to use this as an excuse when we fail to follow God in all the details of life and throw up our hands with “oh, well”.  These words come from the mistakes we make on the journey of “GO” when we do not allow God to do what God does best—lead the way!  Humbly seek God, as Abram did.

Abram obeyed by faith (Hebrews 11:8). True faith is based on the Word of God and leads to obedience. God would not bless and use Abram and Sarai unless they were in the place of His designed Will for them.  This is still true for us today!  Are we where God wants us to be?

God called Abram out of unrighteous living.  God called and then began to work in Abram’s life. Salvation and rescue from evil to all that is God happens when grace is offered to sinner who respond in faith! (See Ephesians 2:8) God called Abram out of idolatry.  Abram was living in Ur of the Chaldees, a city devoted to Nannar, the moon-god. Abram did not know the true God, and had done nothing to deserve knowing Him, but God graciously called him. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15:16).

God called Abram by name to be what he was not—yet!  The remarkable thing about God’s call of Abram and Sarai was that they were childless!  Abram means “exalted father,” but he wasn’t a father at all! They were the least likely candidates to have a family and build a great nation. But God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8, 9), and by calling and blessing a barren couple, the Lord revealed the greatness of His power and His glory. Abram would be named “Abraham,” which means “father of many nations.”

God called imperfect people.  Imperfections do not negate the call of God.  Abram and Sarai were not perfect, but their walk was generally characterized by faith and faithfulness. When they sinned, they suffered for it; and the Lord was always ready to forgive when they repented.  Our imperfect lives are filled with a series of “new beginnings” by our gracious Father who perfectly forgives us in Jesus Name when we repent.  Accept failures as lessons on the journey with God.  Even though we fail him at times, He never fails us.  It is not in His nature or character.

God’s Mission will be accomplished and His Promises fulfilled.  It is not up to us but up to God who is always faithful.  Warren Wiersbe writes; “God did not give Abram reasons or explanations; He simply gave him promises: “I will show you . . . I will make you . . . I will bless you . . . I will bless those who bless you.” God promised to show him a land, to make him into a great nation, and to use that nation to bless the whole world. God blesses us that we might be a blessing to others, and His great concern is that the whole world might be blessed. The missional mandate of the church does not begin with John 3:16 or Matthew 28:18–20. It begins with God’s covenant with Abram. We are blessed that we might be a blessing.” –Wiersbe Study Bible

Abram’s Response to God

There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.  Abram learned to worship God while seeking His direction.  More than once, when God speaks; Abram learns to stop, listen, trust, and obey. 

When God intervenes in our lives—is it not monumental? When seeking God’s will for the next step, it is not wise to go to an altar of surrender and ask what HE wants, letting go of what we think?  I have found it helpful throughout my life to build a place in our home where I can commune with God.  I cannot do life without Him!  Only then can I stand on the promises of God—the greatest promise being, “I will be with you always.”  Always and forever.

Lord,

There is much to learn about YOU and your character from the life of Abram. Thank you for helping us grow closer in our walk with you reading about the faith of our “fathers”. 

I surrender this morning.  I give all of me to all of you.  Forgive me of my sins as I forgive others who have sinned against me.  Lead me to turn from evil and run to You.  Guide my thoughts by renewing my mind.  Thank you for saving me and setting me free from all that hinders our relationship.  Make me a blessing to others.  To you be the glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen