Genesis 12:1-20
The Call of Abram
1 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.”
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.
God could have made a covenant with Adam or Eve or Seth or Noah, but for a reason only God knows, He chose Abraham...The LORD one day said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you...“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...I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”...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...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...
The question of when and with whom God first established a distinct, covenantal relationship is a complex one, and interpretations vary within different religious traditions...While the Bible describes interactions between God and humans long before Abraham, such as God walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and communicating directly with them, and God making a covenant with Noah after the flood, promising never again to destroy the earth in that way, Abraham's calling marks a significant turning point...Descriptions of Seth and Enoch walking with God, with Enoch being described as someone who "walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away," indicate a very close relationship with God...However, God established a specific covenant with Abraham, promising to make him the father of a great nation and to bless all the families of the earth through him...This covenant is foundational to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and God's choice of Abraham is often understood as a response to the growing idolatry and moral decline of humanity...This decline was marked by widespread idolatry, where people turned away from the One True God to worship false deities, and by a general increase in societal corruption...God's choice of Abraham was a direct response to this spiritual and moral deterioration, a way to establish a faithful lineage in a world increasingly dominated by wickedness...
This growing wickedness and disregard for God's order, evident in the time of Abraham, had its roots in earlier periods of decline, as described in Genesis 6...The presence of the Nephilim and the increasing violence on the earth culminated in God's decision to send the flood...In contrast to this widespread corruption, Noah was found to be a righteous man, and God made a covenant with him as well to preserve humanity...This pattern of God choosing a righteous individual in a time of moral decay continues with Abraham, demonstrating God's consistent plan of redemption...
Abraham is often highlighted for his unwavering faith and obedience to God's commands, even when they seemed difficult or illogical...His willingness to leave his homeland and follow God's calling is seen as a model of faith...God's covenant with Abraham marked a new beginning in His relationship with humanity, a step toward the eventual coming of the Messiah...Through Abraham's descendants, God would reveal His plan of salvation to the world...Ultimately, the Bible emphasizes that God's choice of Abraham was an act of His sovereign will. In summary, God interacted with humans before Abraham, but Abraham's calling established a unique and foundational covenant...Abraham's faith, obedience, and role in God's plan of salvation are key reasons for his significance...It is important to remember that God is the One that makes these choices, and that those choices are His Own...
The question of why God chose Abraham is a deep one, and there are various perspectives within religious traditions...A central theme is Abraham's remarkable faith...He demonstrated a willingness to obey God's commands, even when those commands were challenging or seemed illogical...His readiness to leave his homeland and his willingness to sacrifice Isaac are prime examples...Hebrews 11 in the New Testament highlights Abraham's faith as a model for believers, emphasizing his looking forward to a "city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10), a vision often interpreted as a reference to the heavenly kingdom...Ultimately, many believe that God's choice of Abraham was an act of divine sovereignty...God, as the Creator, has the right to choose whomever He wills for His purposes...This perspective emphasizes that God's ways are often beyond human understanding...God chose Abraham to establish a covenant, a special relationship that would have far-reaching consequences...This covenant involved promises of a great nation descending from Abraham, a land for his descendants, and blessings for all nations through his lineage...From a Christian perspective, Abraham's lineage is seen as a crucial part of God's plan to bring the Messiah, Jesus Christ, into the world...Genesis 18:19 shows that God knew that Abraham would command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice...Jewish interpretations often emphasize Abraham's inherent righteousness and his ability to discern the True God in a world of idolatry...Christian theology tends to emphasize God's Grace and Abraham's faith as the primary reasons for his calling...Notably, Jesus Himself said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day; he saw it and was glad," a strong indication that Abraham had some level of prophetic insight into the coming of the Messiah, and this verse can be interpreted as Abraham having a spiritual vision of the future...Furthermore, Galatians 3:8 states, "Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you,”" demonstrating that the gospel was preached to Abraham...In essence, while Abraham's faith and obedience are clear, the ultimate reason for his selection lies within God's Divine Purpose, a Purpose that included a foreshadowing of the salvation to come through Jesus Christ...
Despite receiving God's promises and experiencing His direct guidance, Abram's journey was not without its challenges and moments of doubt...When faced with a severe famine in Canaan, Abram sought refuge in Egypt...This decision, while understandable, led to a situation where Abram's fear for his own life caused him to compromise his integrity by asking Sarai to conceal their marriage...This incident, while revealing a lapse in faith, also demonstrates God's continued faithfulness, as He intervened to protect Sarai and uphold His covenant promises, even when Abram faltered...Yet, the true power of God's covenant with Abraham transcends his human imperfections...It points directly to the ultimate fulfillment of God’s Promise in Jesus Christ, the descendant through whom all nations would be blessed...It is through Jesus, and His sacrifice, that God's plan of redemption, initiated with Abraham, is brought to its complete and Perfect Conclusion...