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Genesis 12

Lesson 8

Call of Abram Ge 12:1 Now the LORD had said to

Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. (NKJV)

1 Now 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. (RSV)

Call of Abram

Verse 1. Get thee out of thy country] There is great dissension between commentators concerning the call of Abram; some supposing he had two distinct calls, others that he had but one.

Call of Abram Dr. Hales, in his Chronology, contends for

two calls: "The first," says he, "is omitted in the Old Testament, but is particularly recorded in the New, Ac 7:2-4: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was (at Ur of the Chaldees) in Mesopotamia, BEFORE HE DWELT IN CHARRAN; and said unto him, Depart from thy land, and from thy kindred, and come into the land (ghn, a land) which I will show thee. Hence it is evident that God had called Abram before he came to Haran or Charran."

Call of Abram The SECOND CALL is recorded only in

this chapter: "The Lord said (not HAD said) unto Abram, Depart from thy land, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto THE LAND, which I will show thee." "The difference of the two calls," says Dr. Hales, "more carefully translated from the originals, is obvious: in the former the land is indefinite, which was designed only for a temporary residence; in the latter it is definite, intimating his abode.

Call of Abram The SECOND CALL is recorded only in

this chapter: …A third condition is also annexed to the latter, that Abram shall now separate himself from his father's house, or leave his brother Nahor's family behind at Charran. This call Abram obeyed, still not knowing whither he was going, but trusting implicitly to the Divine guidance."

Nation Promise Ge 12:2 I will make you a great nation Ex 19:5 'Now therefore, if you will indeed

obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."

Nation Promise Ge 12:2 I will make you a great nation Ge 17:4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is

with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

Gal 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."

Seed Promise 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will

curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

In thee] In thy posterity, in the Messiah, who shall spring from thee, shall all families of the earth be blessed; …His Gospel shall be preached throughout the world, and innumerable blessings be derived on all mankind through His death and intercession.

Abram and Family

Abram leaves Haran He is 75 years old Sarai is his wife Lot is his nephew Came to Canaan Stopped at Shechem

Patriarchs

Abraham

Ur

Haran

Canaan

Land Promise

Ge 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land.“

Josh 21:43 So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.

Patriarchs

Canaan

Genesis 12:7

Worshiping God

v 7 And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

Moved to Bethel v 8 there he built an altar to the LORD

and called on the name of the LORD. Moved on to the South (Negev) Famine in the land

Patriarchs

Famine

Gen 12:10

Canaan

Egypt

Abram’s Request

Sarai was beautiful Abram feared for his life Tell them you are my sister Ge 20:12 "But indeed she is truly my

sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

A half-truth or a half-lie???

Sarai With Pharaoh

Ge 12:15. the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house--Eastern kings have for ages claimed the privilege of taking to their harem an unmarried woman whom they like. The father or brother may deplore the removal as a calamity, but the royal right is never resisted nor questioned.

Sarai With Pharaoh

Abram is treated well Plagues come on Pharaoh Pharaoh learns the truth about Sarai He returns Sarai to Abram They are sent away; out of Egypt

Abram’s Faith Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when

he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Abram’s Faith Abram is proposed to us in the

Scriptures as a pattern of faith, patience, and loving obedience. When he received the call of God, he spent no time in useless reasonings about the call itself, his family circumstances, the difficulties in the way. He was called, and he departed, and this is all we hear on the subject.

Our Faith

Implicit faith in the promise of God, and prompt obedience to his commands, become us, not only as HIS creatures, but as sinners called to separate from evil workers and wicked ways, and travel, by that faith which works by love, in the way that leads to the paradise of God.

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