Read: Genesis 12
Genesis 1-11
focused on the history of the world and its peoples covering 2000 years of
history. In chapter 12 the book narrows
in focus to one family, the family of Abraham.
Over the next 11 chapters we will see Abram mature and grow into a man
of God. It is through him that the
promised seed will come; we’ll see the beginnings of the nation of Israel and
their Promised Land. The rest of the
book focuses primarily on four people – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. God is preparing the way for the rise of the
children of Israel. It is this nation
that God will use to be His witness to the world.
Chapter
twelve begins with God’s conditional promise that Abram could become the source
of blessing for the rest of humanity. It
was conditional because it was dependent on Abram’s obedience. Yet blessing would not just be for Abram but
also for all the families of the earth (v. 3).
God invites Abram to abandon everything and trust Him. He was called to leave his security and
identity and move his family to a new country that God kept hidden from
him. Would Abram believe and obey? Abram responds to the call of God on his life
(v. 4-9) and at the age of 75 he packed up everything and began his
journey. When he arrived in Canaan God
promised to give his offspring that land, even though it was inhabited by the
Canaanites (v. 6-7). Here we see an incarnate
Jesus appearing to Abram, who is the first man to whom God showed Himself. This is significant as we see Jesus in the
Old Testament! Abram responds by
building an altar and worshipping God (v. 7).
He calls on the Lord and builds another altar in verses 8-9.
Abram’s
faith is tested when a famine comes to the land and he goes to Egypt to avoid
this hardship. There is no record of him
consulting God or seeking direction from God, apparently he just went. As they approached Egypt, Abram had his wife
agree to say that she was his sister (v. 13).
He feared that he would be killed so that she could be claimed as
Pharaoh’s wife. We know that Sarai was
his half-sister but this is a half-truth because the whole truth was that she
was his wife. Abram admits to lying when
confronted by Pharaoh (v. 18-20). Abram
prospered from this lie as he was given sheep and oxen, servants and camels (v.
16) on account of her. But God cursed
Pharaoh and his house with great plagues (v. 17). When Pharaoh discovers all of this, he
rebukes Abram and sends him away (v. 20).
Prayer and Journaling
1. In
this chapter we see Abram’s faith as he answers God’s call with willing
obedience. He left the life that he knew
and followed the Lord. But when he comes
to the very land that God had promised him he doesn’t find plenty but a
famine! It is in the tough times when
our faith is tested. This is one reason
why God allows tough times in our lives.
Think about a tough time you have been though recently. Ask the Lord to show you how He has and is
using that to refine and grow you spiritually.
2. Abram told a lie to save his hide but this
lie shows more than just fear, it shows lack of trust in God. Abram chose to give into fear instead of
trusting, his faith was deficient at this stage in his life. He tried to fix the problem with his own
ideas instead of looking to God and trusting Him. Ask the Lord to show you a problem in your
life that you have been trying to solve with your own ideas. Repent of this. Then ask the Lord to give you insight into
this problem and to show you His solution.
Commit to praying about this regularly, until you can see His
solution.
