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Genesis 12:1-3 – The Call of Abram

It is hard to over-estimate the importance of the passage before us. Abram (later, Abraham) is introduced as one that God had special dealings with, much as He did with Noah.

To the Israelites this passages points back to their origin. Abraham is their father. They will be introduced to the faith of Abraham and many of his other good qualities as examples. They will learn a great deal about God’s character seeing how God dealt with Abraham.

This promise is the reason God heard Israel’s cries in the land of bondage (Exo. 3:7), is why they were rescued and why they were God’s peculiar people (Deu. 7:7-8).

As Christians we are the heritage of Abraham today (Gal. 3:29). We become children of Abraham by faith; the same faith that Abraham showed (James 2:21-24; Heb. 11:8-12).

The Call of Abram

It’s never easy to leave the familiar surroundings. It’s even harder to be headed for a place that you’ve never seen and harder still when there’s no one waiting for you. Abraham had to trust God. He had to leave all that was precious behind and go. That’s what he did and that’s why he is given so often as an example of faith. Faith involves hearing followed by trusting and obeying.

This was a trip of 800 miles at the speed of the slowest animal in the herd. It began at Ur which is in Iraq. He followed the Euphrates against the flow of the river to supply water and forage for his herd. He camped at Haran for a time and then completed his journey by traveling south to Canaan.

God promises greatness for Abraham.

“And I will make of thee a great nation”

The beginning of a nation is children and Abraham had none as yet (Gen. 15:2).

“I will bless thee”

Provision would flow from God to Abraham.

“and make thy name great”

This involves more than name recognition. Many millions know the name of Lee Harvey Oswald but that doesn’t make him great. Abraham was known and respected in his day and still millennia later.

“and thou shalt be a blessing”

Not only would God provide for Abraham but he would make him overflow to others. Abraham would have the means to bless others.

“And I will bless them that bless thee”

God would even reward those who live peacefully and neighborly with Abraham.

“and curse him that curseth thee”

A warning to those who are against Abraham.

“and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”

We certainly can’t understand the meaning of this text without knowing the rest of the story of redemption. It’s in Christ “the son … of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1) that all the families of the earth would be blessed (Acts 2, 10).