CSSA 1-1-06 - THE CALL OF ABRAM

Language English

6. THE CALL OF ABRAM

"In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

Aim

To learn the promises God made to Abram, and what they mean.

People soon forgot the lesson of the flood and their wickedness again increased as they turned to the worship of idols. Abram dwelt in Ur of the Chaldees, close to the city of Babylon. Ur was one of the chief cities of Chaldea, With a magnificent ziggurat - temple where the people worshipped the moon god. Throughout that land the people bowed down to many gods - the sun, moon and stars and many others. The leaders in this false worship were magicians and astrologers like those later spoken of in Daniel 4:7.

Gen. 11:31-12:10

THE FAMILY OF ABRAM LEAVE UR: Gen. 11:31 -12:1

Abram was not taught the Truth from boyhood, for his parents worshipped idols as did the people around them. 'Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood (i.e. of the River Euphrates) in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods" (Josh. 24:2-4). Later however "Terah took Abram his son, Lot ... and Sarai ... and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go into the land of Canaan, and they came into Haran, and dwelt there" (Genesis 11:31).

In Acts 7:2-4 we are told why they left Ur and travelled north to Haran. God had spoken to Abram in Ur, telling him to leave that place and go to a land that He would show him. Terah, his father, and the rest of his family were obviously willing to go too. But when they reached Haran, they would go no further. There they all stayed until Terah died. Then Abram, in obedience to God's commands - "Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee" (Genesis 12:1) - took Sarai, his wife and Lot, his nephew, with their flocks, herds and possessions, and crossed over the river. So doing, he became known as "Abram the Hebrew", which means "crosser-over" (Genesis 14:13). He thus began a new life.

ABRAM'S SECOND CALL AND GOD'S WONDERFUL PROMISE: Genesis 12:2-4

God spoke to Abram again in Haran. He gave the first great and wonderful promise to Abram recorded in Genesis 12:2-3. God promised Abram that:

He would become a great nation.
His name would be great and he would become a blessing.
God would bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him.
In Abram, all families of the earth would be blessed.

Truly this was a great promise. Abram, with great faith and courage, being 75 years of age, gathered his family -Sarai, his wife (later called Sarah), Lot his nephew, his herdsmen and servants, and crossed the River Euphrates into the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:4).

The apostle Paul speaks of the great faith of Abram in Hebrews 11:8: "By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went."

ABRAM IN THE PROMISED LAND: Genesis 12:5-10

Abram and his family entered the land of Canaan and travelled to Shechem (v. 6), where he built an altar and worshipped God, no doubt thanking Him for his safe journey. There God made a further promise saying, "Unto thy seed will I give this land (v. 7). From Shechem, they travelled south to Bethel, and he built another altar there. He continued through the land, but because there was a severe famine in the land of Canaan he entered into Egypt and dwelt there for a time.

It had been a long journey from Ur in Chaldea, and there were still more kilometres to cover on the return journey to Canaan. God had said, "Unto thy seed will I give this land". Until this day, Abram and his seed have not received that land. But what God has promised, He will surely fulfil (see Acts 7:5). Abram will be raised from the dead at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and then he will receive the land promised to him and to his seed many centuries ago.

LESSON FOR US

During his travels, Abram built altars to offer worship to God, giving Him praise and thanks for the knowledge of His truth, and calling upon God to fulfil His will. We do the same today when we pray for God's Kingdom to come, and for the return to earth of Jesus Christ our Lord. Abram believed God's promises and we must do the same. He is a wonderful example to us of faith (believing God) and obedience.

When Abram left Ur, he had left behind him his old way of life. No longer did he dwell in a comfortable house, sur rounded by all the luxuries of life. Now he was a tent-dweller, "a stranger and pilgrim in the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). God had promised him the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, but he knew that this would not be fulfilled till after his resurrection. So he was content to wander through that land as a stranger, dwelling in tents all his life, until God should make him possess the land forever.

Although God does not expect us to leave our homes and go and live in tents, He does want us to show the same faith as Abram. He wants us to place no importance on the comfort and luxuries of life, but to look forward with joy to the happy time when we shall live in the land with Abram and all the faithful men and women of old.

We must stand apart from the ways of the world, just as Abram separated himself from the ways of the Canaanites, and serve the living God in faithful obedience.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

"Crossing over" the River Euphrates meant leaving behind the wickedness and idolatry of Babylon to begin a new life. The same thing happens to us when we are baptised into Christ: "We also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). We leave the ways of the world to begin a new life. Although Abram was the "heir of the world" (Romans 4:13), he received "no inheritance" of it during his lifetime (Acts 7:5), but was "a stranger and pilgrim" there (Hebrews 11:8-9). His faith was a pattern for all God's people (Romans 4:23-24). Although they also are "heirs of the world", they must not seek after the attractions it offers in this day and age, but are to wait in patience for the Lord's return from heaven.

The promise God made to Abram in Genesis 12:3 ("In thee shall all nations be blessed") was the Gospel (Galatians 3:8). The Gospel means "good news" or "glad tidings". The good news is that through the seed of Abram (Jesus Christ) even we who are Gentiles can become related to Abram through baptism. When we are baptised we become part of the great family of God to which Abram belonged and therefore heirs of the promises of God made to him.

The Jewish people, now scattered because of their sins, will become a great nation (Genesis 12:2), when the redeemer (Jesus Christ) shall come to Zion "and shall turn away ungod liness from Jacob" (Romans 11:26; Isaiah 59:20).

So Jews and Gentiles shall be blessed together with faithful Abram when the Kingdom of God is established and the Lord Jesus Christ reigns as king over all the earth. It will be a glorious era of peace and happiness for all nations: "His name shall endure for ever: His name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed" (Psalm 72:17).

QUESTIONS

Short Answers

1. Where did Abram and his family live?