Which words stand out to you when you read the call of Abram aloud?1
Abram Goes Forth at the Call of God
Lectio
Close off the distractions around you and enter a moment of stillness. Breathe in, being filled with the presence of God’s Spirit. Breathe out, letting go of all that could distract you from this sacred time.
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. 2I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, 6Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7Then 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. 8From there he moved on 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 invoked the name of the LORD. 9And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.
After allowing the Scripture to penetrate your mind and heart, listen for further understanding through this commentary.
Abram had already lived much of his life. He no longer possessed the vigor of youth or the gullibility and hearty desire for fortune and fame that often characterizes young adulthood. He had earned a secure life in his Mesopotamian culture. But in the middle of life, after his father had died, Abram received the call to begin again.
God’s word to Abram, “Go” (v. 1), presents an imperative and an invitation. The enormity of what God asks and of the decision to be made is expressed through the threefold listing of what Abram must leave: “your country and your kindred and your father’s house.” The terms are arranged in ascending order according to the severity of the sacrifice involved: the region of Mesopotamia, his ethnic group, and his extended family. God’s call demanded that he leave the basis of his security, trade, and identity. He must transfer his orientation from his homeland and his lineage to God and God’s promises.
At the center of Abram’s call are the wondrous promises of God. These promises are the key to the entire Bible and will be fulfilled throughout the history of salvation. The initial set of promises expresses God’s commitment to Abram: first, to make of him a great nation; second, to bless him with abundant flocks, numerous offspring, good health, and long life; and third, to make his name great so that he will be esteemed with a noble reputation (v. 2). The second set of promises shows how God will affect other nations through Abram and how God will protect Abram among the nations (v. 3). Most amazingly, God proclaims the highest goal of Abram’s calling: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (v. 3). Through Abram and his descendants, God will bestow universal blessings to all the people of the world.
In unwavering obedience to the divine call, Abram accepts his new identity: “Abram went” (v. 4). At age seventy-five, Abram has the vision to see beyond his own lifetime and the wisdom to understand the importance of making sacrifices for future generations. Every aging person wants to leave a legacy, and Abram’s legacy would extend farther than anyone could imagine.
The journey of Abram from the homeland of his ancestors, Ur, to Haran, and then, at the call of God, to Shechem in the land of Canaan, took him along some of the most ancient roads and through some of the most important cities and lands of the ancient world. Archaeology has revealed that Shechem (v. 6) and Bethel (v. 8) were already Canaanite religious shrines before Abram arrived. Abram built altars there and worshipped God. Here God gave Abram another promise: “To your offspring I will give this land” (v. 7). Hereafter, the history of Abram’s descendents is inextricably bound to the Promised Land. Continuing southward, he reached the Negeb, having traversed the entire length of the land, marking out the land of promise.
Abram was a spiritual pioneer. He took the necessary risk and made the inevitable sacrifices for a future he would never see. His every action, then, gained a significance that transcended his own lifetime and would eventually change the whole world.
After listening to this passage, read the commentary carefully and write your answers to these questions:
Which words stand out to you when you read the call of Abram aloud?
What was Abram required to leave behind when he heard the call of God to “go” forth (v. 1)?
Meditatio
Ask yourself what God is saying to you through this text of Scripture. Allow the call of Abram to interact with your own experiences of fear and hope.
Abram received a divine call in the middle of his life to begin again. When have I overcome the fear of change in order to make a new beginning?
Abram’s decision in his advancing years changed the world for all his descendants. What is the legacy I want to leave beyond my own lifetime?
In what way is Abram a model for me of trust in the future? What can I do to demonstrate a greater trust in the future God has in store for me?
Oratio
Use these or similar words to respond to God, who speaks to you through the Scriptures.
Lord God, you called Abram to leave his familiar homeland in order to begin again. Help me trust in your promises to me and overcome the fear of change. Give me the grace to make a fresh start and the wisdom to hope in the future.
Continue to pray to God from your heart . . .
Contemplatio
For a few quiet moments, rest with confidence in the promises God has given to you. Let your trust in God’s promises reach into your heart and dispel your fear.
After a period of silent contemplation, write a few words about your experience.
Operatio
The inspired Scriptures have the power to change us from within. What can I do today to begin to live out the future God has promised me? In what way have these verses made me more hopeful?