Sermon – Genesis 12 – The Call of Abraham

  • In the past few weeks, we have been looking at stories and characters from the book of Genesis.  We have seen how similar their world is to ours; how we can learn from their actions; and how influences can impact other people and the world at large.

  • We started with Creation, Adam and Eve, and their Fall into Sin … We talked about Cain and Abel and not allowing our anger to cause to sin and not letting sin control us … We talked about Noah and the Flood and how Noah never gave up preaching the truth even in face of a world that hated the truth … and we also talked about the Tower of Babel and how the evil influences in the world caused man to continue to rebel against God; and how He intervened by separating the languages and peoples of the world.
  • The next main character we reach in Genesis is Abraham, (or to be technical, Abram since his name has not been yet been changed, but we will get to that). 
  • In Genesis 11:1-9, we find the account of the Tower of Babel.  During this time, everyone on the earth spoke the same language and they had a plan to build a tower that could reach Heaven.  They wanted security, fame, and power; and in their rebellion, they wanted to make a name for themselves and rule in place of God.

  • In Genesis 11:10-26, we find the genealogy that takes us from Shem to Abraham – with the Hebrew people descending from Abraham.

  • In this genealogy and the one found in Genesis 10:21-31, we come across an ancestor of Abraham by the name of ‘Peleg.’  In Genesis 10:25, we are told that Peleg’s name means division; and that during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups – which is recorded in the account of the Tower of Babel.

  • So, Peleg would have been the great-great-great-grandfather of Abraham; and doing the math from Peleg to Abraham would have been roughly 191 years and we read that Peleg lived another 209 years after he became a father for a total of 239 years – which would make it a solid possibility that Abraham was alive when the Tower of Babel was constructed and when the languages of the world were confused; and this may be the set-up for Abraham’s call by God – which is recorded in Genesis 12; and not only that, but if my math is correct, Shem – Noah’s son, would have also been alive during Abraham’s lifetime; and just perhaps they could have had some interaction; possibly with Shem telling Abraham firsthand about the events of the flood and also about God, so when God called Him, spoke to Him – Abram knew who He was, wasn’t shocked, and knew to obey.

  • So, the story of Abram begins, either during the time of the Tower of Babel or right after.  He would have been alive with many of his ancestors and could possibly have learned about the history of the world from them and also about God.

  • Genesis 11:27-32 (NLT – The Family of Terah) … (27) This is the account of Terah’s family.  Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.  (28) But Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth, while his father, Terah, was still living.  (29) Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor both married.  The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah.  (Milcah and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor’s brother Haran.)  (30) But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children.  (31) One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans.  He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there.  (32) Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.

  • Abram grew up in Ur of the Chaldeans, an important city in the ancient world.  It has been discovered that a flourishing civilization existed there in Abram’s day.  The city carried on extensive trade with its neighbors and had a vast library.  Growing up in Ur, Abram could have been well educated, and could have learned much about the world from travelers.

  • Terah left Ur to go to Canaan, but we are not told why.  It could have been because of Abram’s leading since God told him to go – which we will get to in chapter 12 – or maybe God told him to and it isn’t recorded – or maybe he heard about the land from some of his ancestors or those visiting Ur on business; and decided it would be a great place to live.  Whatever the reason he decided to go, Scripture is not clear, but went he did.

  • On the way to Canaan, he made it halfway and settled in Haran instead.  So, why did he stop halfway?  Again, the Bible makes no mention of why the family stopped.  Maybe Terah’s health did not allow him to continue on; maybe the climate or crops or famine kept them there; maybe family issues prohibited them from traveling; or maybe there was fighting in the area and fear kept them from moving on. 

  • Regardless, this is where chapter 12 picks up.  Abram’s calling did not change.  He had respect for his father’s leadership, but when Terah died, Abram continued with the move to Canaan. 

  • God’s will may come in stages.  Just as the time in Haran was a transition period for Abram, so God may give us transition periods and times of waiting to help us depend on Him and trust His timing.  If we patiently do His will during the transition times, we will be better prepared to serve Him as we should when He calls us.

  • Genesis 12:1-9 (NLT – The Call of Abram) … (1) The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.  (2) I will make you into a great nation.  I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.  (3) I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.  All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”  (4) So, Abram departed as the LORD had instructed, and Lot went with him.  Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.  (5) He took his wife, Saria, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth – his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran – and headed for the land of Canaan.  When they arrived in Canaan, (6) Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem.  There he set up came beside the oak of Moreh.  At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.  (7) Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.”  And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the LORD, who had appeared to him.  (8) After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east.  There he built another altar and dedicated it to the LORD, and he worshiped the LORD.  (9) Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.

  • When God called him, Abram moved out in faith from Ur to Haran and finally to Canaan.  God then established a covenant with Abram, telling him that he would become a great nation.  Not only would this nation be blessed, God said, but the other nations of the earth would be blessed through Abram’s descendants.

  • Israel, the nation that would come from Abram, was to follow God and influence those with whom it came in contact.  Through Abram’s family tree, Jesus was born to save humanity.  Through Jesus, people can have a personal relationship with God and be blessed beyond measure.

  • God promised to bless Abram and make him famous, but God had one condition: Abram had to do what God wanted him to do.  This meant leaving his home and friends and traveling to a new land where God promised to build a great nation from Abram’s family.

  • Abram obeyed, walking away from his home for God’s promise of even greater blessings in the future.  God may be trying to lead you to a place of greater service and usefulness for Him.  Don’t let the comfort and security of your present position make you miss God’s plan for you.  Abram did not hesitate to follow God; and we should not either.

  • God planned to develop a nation of people He would call his own.  He called Abram from the godless, self-centered city of Ur to a fertile region called Canaan, where a God-centered, moral nation could be established. 

  • Though small in dimension, the land of Canaan was the focal point for most of the history of Israel; as well as for the rise of Christianity.  This small land given to one man, Abram, has had a tremendous impact on world history.

  • Abram built an altar to the Lord.  Altars were used in many religions, but for God’s people, altars were more than places of sacrifice.  For them, altars symbolized communion with God and commemorated notable encounters with Him.  Built of rough stones and earth, altars often remained in place for years as continual reminders of God’s protection and promises.

  • Today, we have services and ceremonies that can point us back to important events in our lives.  We should keep track of events in our lives where God has intervened.  We should keep track of our prayers and be able to look back on all the times God came through.

  • Abram regularly built altars to God for two reasons: (1) for prayer and worship, and (2) as reminders of God’s promise to bless him.  Abram couldn’t survive spiritually without regularly renewing his love and loyalty to God.  Building altars helped Abram remember that God was at the center of his life.  Regular worship helps us remember what God desires and motivates us to obey Him.

  • Abram was called by God for several reasons:
    • To be saved
    • To be blessed
    • To bless others
  • (1) God called Abram to save him.
    • God called Abram out of a wicked world that was self-centered and worshiped idols and other gods.  If God did not call Abram, then he would have remained in Ur, surrounded by its wickedness and have perished.

  • (2) God called Abram to bless him personally.
    • Not only did God call Abram out of an evil world to save him, but Abram was told that he would be blessed.  He was told that he would be made into a great nation; and we read further into Genesis that Abram also accumulates great wealth, has many servants, owns many flocks and herds with many thousand animals, with other material blessings as well.
  • (3) God called Abram to bless the world through him.
    • God told Abram that a great nation would come from him.  We can continue in Genesis and see that the nation of Israel descended from Abram and that the Jewish people, as well as a country of Israel, still exist today.
    • The Jewish people were to be a light to the rest of the world and by their faith and actions were to draw people out of the other nations – away from idols and immorality – and to God, worshiping and serving him, while living a moral life.
    • Jesus would ultimately come from Abram’s line and through Jesus we have the opportunity to be saved from our sins, live righteously, and spend eternity with God.
  • God also calls us for those same reasons:
    • To be saved … To be blessed … To bless others
  • God Calls Us To Be Saved
    • Our world is no different than Abram’s: it is wicked, self-centered, and has idols all its own.  All we have to do is watch TV, read a paper, or look at Facebook to see this.
    • Wickedness results in lies, scandals, kidnapping, rapes, robberies, assaults, murders, theft, false accusations, and this list could go on and on.
    • Self-centeredness is easy to see, especially in others.  People want to be #1, get all the attention, want everything done their way, be the focus of conversations, be in charge; and social media just makes things worse.  People post everything they do in hopes of getting likes and followers – searching for attention, in hopes of fame and fortune.  Our world is focused on “me, me, me” and doesn’t care about others.
    • Idols, while not made of gold and assigned to a god, still exist, and come in many forms.  People worship different things, including, but not limited to: family, career, hobbies, entertainment, recreation, shopping, sports, or living through other people.
    • We are all susceptible to idol worship if we would rather do something or anything else instead of spending time studying the Bible, praying, or coming to church when we have the opportunity.  Anything that takes God from being #1 in your life, the study of His Word, prayer, or fellowship with Him or His followers is an idol.
    • God calls us out of this world to save us through His One and Only Son, Jesus.  Jesus is the only source of salvation, the only way to God the Father, and the only way to escape the judgment that is to come.

  • God Calls Us To Bless Us
    • Now, we might not receive great wealth or have lots of material blessings, but when we are saved through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we are blessed.
    • We are blessed to be able to worship God, to communicate with Him, to have Him to lean on; and open the truth contained in Scripture and have that guide our lives.
    • If nothing else, following God’s teachings will bless us by keeping us out of turmoil that sin far too often brings.  Not only does sin hinder our fellowship with God and other believers, it can also have implications with our boss, government, or police.

  • God Calls Us To Bless The World Through Us
    • Just as the nation of Israel was to be a light to other nations to draw them to God; we are also called be Light (as well as Salt) and reach our world with the Gospel.
    • We are to live in such a way that people will know something is different about us.  We are to show the qualities of God to others, and they are simply – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
    • Having these Fruit of the Spirit will help us fulfill the Great Commission by going out into the world (even just our local communities); sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ (His perfect life – His willingness to take our place and punishment – His death on the cross – and His resurrection) … making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey all of Jesus’ commands.
  • So, why is God calling you this morning?  Is He calling you to salvation?  Is He calling you to sanctification – a deeper walk with Him?  Is He calling you to serve or share the Gospel?