Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 12:1-9

1Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed fromHaran.

5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, tothe oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land

7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.

9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

It is well to understand that through chapter 12 of Genesis there have been many questions raised by conservative Bible teachers. There has been no attempt to answer these questions. Most of them are the fruit of inquisitive intellect rather that the text itself and are best left to the graveyard of fruitless knowledge falsely so-called.

Chapter 12 brings the reader into direct contact with Abram as he is named at this point. This man is one of the greatest saints of God ever. So it serves the believer well to know him and why he is held in such high esteem.

Abram is introduced as a man who has nothing exceptional to distinguish him. But there is something about Abram that makes him different. He has faith in the true and living God. Hebrews 11:8-10 makes it plain that this is what sets Abram apart.

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.

10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

But what does Abram do? His faith triumphs over fear and he obeys God. He leaves all that is familiar and safe and goes to what is dangerous and fearful. Secondly, he worships by the means of blood sacrifice. An “altar to the Lord” was for the purpose of a burnt sacrifice. Thirdly, Abram never lost sight of his objective received in his call. He leaves Egypt under duress but he does not turn back. He continues in his appointed direction. He has not forgotten his call or the one who called him.

It is not our faults which are our problem. It is our failure to arise and continue in our calling.