Genesis 12- The Story of Abraham  

The descendants of Shem are noted beginning in Genesis 11:11 and we take note as God would have us take note with the birth of a man named Terah. We see the mention of three sons born to Terah- Abram, Nahor & Haran.  Abram’s two brothers’ children and grandchildren will play important roles in the life of Abram and the nation of Israel.  

Nahor would become the grandfather of Rebekah and Laban, two people who will play a significant role in the history of Abraham and his son Isaac. Laban will have two daughters- Rachel and Leah who will figure in the history of Jacob and the future of Israel.  

Haran- Abram’s other brother would die before his father, Terah, and Abram became the guardian of his nephew Lot.  

How important is the story of Abraham?  God would devote 25% of the book of Genesis to Abraham’s story and journey of faith. Abraham would become a revered man by the three major religions of the world:  Judaism, Muslim & Christianity.  

What we will also see reflected in this story of Abraham’s journey of faith is our own journey of faith. 

The journey of faith begins, as it did with Abraham with a call from God- a call of separation. Separation is necessary for preparation. ( my own life- when I got saved- called by God – I quit the job I was currently in to take a job with my in-laws. I would stay there for 3 years- a time of preparation.)  

Second we see in the story of Abraham a call to a mission. The mission God calls us to does not come with a detailed map- God teaches us to follow Him. This will be to the good works He has ordained ( and equipped) us to walk in.  

We see in the life of Abraham, as in our own lives, Abraham  sometimes stumbles and  gets off the path God would have him to walk in. But praise be to God, although we stumble we will not be utterly cast down for He holds us with His right hand. One can no more learn to walk by faith without falls, that a child can learn to walk with out falling.  

God also called Abraham to a covenant without compromise. Obey and we will blessed- disobey and there will be consequences. The law and principle of sowing and reaping. 

We will also see in the life of Abraham that there will always be adversity, storms, famine and enemies. The Lord Jesus warned us in the world we would have trouble and Peter told us not to consider fiery trials strange.  Sometimes it seems God leads us to deserts- to prepare us for His destinations.  

But what we will also see is that God is patient with Abram who is young(not in years-but in his faith) and immature in his faith. Abraham has much to learn as we all do when we first respond to God’s command to come out. 

Now I need to take you the first part of the first verse of Genesis 12 and the go back to Chapter 11 so we can understand the proper chronology of these events.  

Genesis 12:1a : “  The Lord HAD said to Abram, “ Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to a land I will show you.” Based on this command from God, Abram left the Ur of Chaldeans- to go to Canaan but when we go back to chapter 11- we see they did not get there right away. In addition in Acts 7, Stephen in his testimony to the High Priest confirms Abram was called by God while still in Ur.  

A word about Ur of Chaldees where Abram lived prior to this move. It was an important city in Babylonia. It was the center of culture, wealth and intellect- boasting a university and a library which modern day archaeology uncovered. It also was the center of worship for the Moon goddess. Abram and his family were idolaters.  

However, when we go back to Genesis 11:31-32 we note the journey of faith got sidetracked in the very beginning:  “ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, son of Haran and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram and together the set out from the Ur of Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when the came to Haran, they settle there. Terah lived 205 years and he died in Haran.”  (Haran was a flourishing caravan city  ruled by the Amorites. We see when Abram leaves here he will have much in flocks, possessions and servants. Abram was an excellent and prosperous businessman whose trade was in livestock. Perhaps his motives for stopping were economic- having depended up until this time in his life on his own skills and abilities. It was natural for Abram to trust his abilities and instincts as a businessman.  Trust is a learned response. And Abram was learning to trust the Lord to be His Provider. We will see this journey for the next 12 chapters- the good and the bad..the failures and the successes.)  

When we look on the map- we see Haran is about ½ way to Canaan.  That is where a lot of us make a first detour…having started out by faith to Canaan which represents not heaven- but the Spirit filled life- we stop at a place that seems to offer the things we need. But God says I know the plans I have for you- plans to prosper you and give you hope and a future and not calamity. But you must seek me  with all your heart. Half-hearted efforts result in getting halfway there.  It was faith that brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt – but it was fear that kept them from entering the promised land of Canaan.  Paul would remind the Galatians and us : ‘ after beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goals by human effort?  

Have we not all spent time in the wilderness? Have we not all stopped for a season in Haran? Having come out of the old life to enter the new- then spend that miserable time in the wilderness- living the carnal life. A life of partial obedience, a place of half ways- which is God’s eyes is not obedience at all.  

The story of Abraham begins with a call from God. The initiative was God’s. In the seventh chapter of Acts, Stephen answering to charges before the high priest tells the story of Abraham. Stephen tells us ‘ the God of Glory appeared to our father, Abraham, while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. Leave your country and go to the land I will show you.  So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where we are now living.’  

In Hebrews 11:8 – we read-“ By faith Abraham when called to go to a place he would later received as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”  Now we know the rest of the story- that Abraham did not complete this journey without interruption. The walk of faith is not completed in a single journey- it is a continuous trip- with stops and starts and detours. 

Now when God called Abram-God makes the following statements and promises:  

He will show Abram where to go- He will guide him, just as He will guide us when we begin the journey of faith.  

He will make Abram a great nation. As we have seen – nations come out of families and families are the backbone of any nation.  

He will bless Abraham- just as he blesses us, for we are the spiritual descendants of Abraham.

God will promise to make Abraham’s name great ( 3 major religions).

God promises to bless those who bless Abraham and curse those  who curse Abraham. He has certainly blessed Israel. And God blesses each of us, with every spiritual blessing in heaven. Whatever concerns us- concerns God.

And God promised to bless all the nations of the world through you- through His seed, the Lord Jesus.  

So Abraham’s journey begins as does our spiritual journey with God coming into our lives with an invitation to join Him.  

There is a revelation from God that calls for a response to God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  Abraham’s journey begins as does all of our journeys with a vision and a hope for a better life. Abraham was looking for a city whose builder and architect was God. 

God called Abram to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s household. What does this mean to us? Leave our country- our place of residence? Well- where did we live before we were saved?  We lived in the world, we were conformed by the world, the world was our master and held us enslaved as surely as the Egyptians held the Israelites in bondage.  God calls us to leave the world. 

He calls for us to leave our kindred- we are to embrace a new family- the family of God which we are born into with new brothers and sisters.  

God also calls for us to leave our father’s house- who is our father- biblically speaking- Adam. Our old nature comes from our Adamic nature we inherited from Adam. We must leave the old man- in fact he is crucified with Christ- buried with Christ.  

But just like Abraham- we make detours and stops because our old nature longs for the familiar and the known- not the unfamiliar and the unknown.  We long for the diet the old nature enjoyed- for the familiar routine.  Habits long in developing must be replaced by new habits. We must no longer be conformed- shaped by the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  

In this new journey, like Abraham we must learn to walk by faith – not by sight. As we will see in the life of Abram- we don’t  always get it right.   

But we realize- we cannot go and stay at the same time.  

Certainly, Abram must have had second thoughts was he doing what was right? Was he headed in the right direction? And we see in Abram’s life- what we experience in our own spiritual journey. Stops and starts. One moment filled with confidence- the next moment covered with confusion. Rising to moments of fearless faith- to moments of fear that cast out faith.  

In verses 4 & 5 of Genesis 12- Abram loads up the moving van. Surely some of his neighbors and business acquaintances ask Abram where he was going- to which he replied to a place I know not- but God will show me. Many would consider such a move foolish.  But already Abram has determined he would be willing to be a fool for Christ’s sake.  

In verse 6- the second phase of Abram’s life journey of faith begins. He travels through the land as far as the great tree of Moreh at Schemen.  Why are these two places mentioned by name? Because their names have meaning.  Moreh is the Hebrew word for instruction.  Schemen comes from the word for ‘shoulder’ which was a symbol of strength.  As believers we are instructed in the Word of God by the Spirit of God that we might gain strength to live the Christian life and walk the walk of faith.  

The last part of verse 6 tells us when Abram and his caravan arrived and guess what? The Canaanites, a corrupt and evil people, were in the land.  Certainly this must have created some confusion in the mind of Abram if he was in the right place.  God affirms Abram is in the right place as God appears to Abram and reassures him with this statement: “ To your offsping I will give this land.”  In response Abram builds an altar. 

God will allow disappointments and adversity to occur on our Christian journey and in our new life so we can learn the principles of the life of faith and emerge stronger for  the experience.   

Watch carefully what happens next in verse 9&10:  “ 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. Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.”  If you look on a map- Abram is drifting south toward Egypt. Do you notice what is missing? God did not direct Abram in this direction. Abram has chosen a way that seems right to him. 

Bethel means the ‘house of God.’  Ai means ‘ heap of ruins.’  

There were two things awaiting Abram in his walk of faith- he had not expected. First the land God sent him to was occupied by the corrupt and cantankerous Canaanites. Second- a famine came on the land.  

But do you see when the famine came?  When Abram moved away from Bethel, the House of God. Moving away from God’s house will always produce a famine in the soul.  

Walking in the flesh now- Abram pushes the panic button and takes off for Egypt. Egypt is a picture of the world. Abram was looking to the world for a solution to his problems and need and not to God.  It happens to all of us. And like Abram, we find we invariably get in more trouble as we will see Abram did.  What Egypt was to Abram, the world is to us. It can look very attractive at times and appear to have the solutions to our problems. Abram had a wife, a nephew, employees, servants and flocks that required food and attention. He was just trying to do what he thought was best. But again we do not see Abram consulting God – asking for directions. 

But let us observe what happens when we  depart from faith. Abram became fearful..for when faith is not present- fear will rush in and control our actions and reactions.  

Having acted on his own- not waiting on the Word of God which is a lamp unto our feet and a light upon our path- Abram is experiencing some dark moments of fear.  

In England during WWII- they experienced some dark moments  of fear. King George VI would speak to the people of England over the radio  over BBC. After Dunkirk, when their armies were in complete disarray and the Battle of Britain lay ahead, King George VI who was a truly saved Christian and Godly man read a poem that encouraged the people during these dark times.  

“ And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:

Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!

And he replied –‘ go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.

So I went forth, and finding the hand of God, trod gladly into the night.

And He led me toward the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.  

Abram had headed south west. His back was to the breaking day. His face was toward Egypt- the world, not Canaan- the land of God’s promises. No wonder everything seemed so dark.  

Fear strikes Abram as he is about to enter Egypt. Abram says to his wife Sarai- I know that you are a beautiful woman and when the Egyptians see you they will say- this is his wife- let’s  kill him and take her for the king’s household.  So they tell a half-lie- half-truth which is like being a little bit pregnant – you either are or you aren’t. Abram was deceiving himself that this was not a lie- because technically Sarai was his half sister. But she was his wife and it was a lie by omission of the truth.  

The Pharaoh took her into his household and treated Abram favorably because of her. Abram acquires more livestock and servants both menservants and maid servants- ill-gotten gains - which we will take note of later.  

God had told Abram He would bless the nations through Abram- but here in this case in his disobedience God had no choice but to bring a plague upon the Pharaoh’s household in order to protect Sarai. So much for blessing … 

Abram blew it… his witness was destroyed. Have you ever blown it?  Of course, we all have. We must guard our testimony- our witness that we never by word or deed behave in such a way as to misrepresent our Lord in the world.   

But aren’t we glad that we serve a God of second chances?  We will see in Chapter 13- Abram goes back to where he made a wrong turn. When you decide to take a short cut and get lost and get in a mess- the best thing you can do is turn back around and go back to where you got off. That is the essence of repentance.  Abram would go back to Bethel- the House of God where his tent had been at the beginning.  

When we walk by faith- we walk in the light as He is in the light and we enjoy fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sins.  

If we are to follow Him- we must keep our eyes on Him.