God's Call to Abraham

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 
Gen 12:1-3

The Call of Abram

​The call of Abram has had volumes written concerning the lessons within it. This post will go into only some major points, and glean some wisdom from it.

​God’s call to Abraham was: 
(1) a call to closer communion with Himself: At some time in our lives a call from God sends its trumpet tone through each of our souls, as it did when Abraham heard it, and he went forth with the future stretching broad and far before him.
(2) a call which led him to break with his past: We dare not leave our kindred or our set. We will not leave our traditional views and sentiments, and we cannot leave our secret sins.
​(3) a call into loneliness: The reason why any of us never become people of great use and example and higher thought and true devotion, is that we dare not be singular. People need the company, and approval of other's to help them make their decisions, to even attempt to pursue their ambitions, or convictions. Standing alone, and being willing to move on alone, is a rare commodity, in any age.
(4) The course of conduct he followed could not have been of human suggestion. Abraham was not driven from his country by adverse circumstances, or attracted by the premise of plenty elsewhere. However, he left a condition which would then be considered as prosperous, and accepted whatever trials might await him.

I. IT DEMANDED GREAT SACRIFICES. Abraham was not immediately rewarded with temporary  blessings. There was no reason to expect any advantages in his acceptance of the call, or obedience to it. His decision to comply, came from an honest desire in his heart, to simply follow, and honor God.
II. IT WAS AN EXAMPLE OF FAITH. The promise was made in general terms, and the good things to come, as far as Abraham was personally concerned, placed at an inaccessible distance. His decision of obedience came from the seed of faith, which he put into action by his choices. This revealed:
1. Faith is required to brave the terrors of the unknown.
2. Faith trusts in God.
3. In religious faith there is an element of reason. Faith is not contrary to, only beyond, reason. To follow the promptings of faith is the noblest act of human reason.

III. IT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY PROMISE. The promises made to Abraham may be considered in a two-fold light. As they concerned himself, personally, He would have compensation for all the worldly loss he would have to endure.

(1) For the loss of country, God promised that He would make him a great nation.
(2) For the loss of his place of birth, God promised to bless him with a higher prosperity.
(3) For the loss of family distinction God promised to make his name great. Abraham had to leave his “father’s house,” but he was destined in the Providence of God to build up a more famous and lasting house. These promises may be considered--

In his relation to humanity. God said, “Thou shalt be a blessing.” This promise implied something nobler than any personal benefits which Abraham could inherit. It was the higher blessing-the larger benefit. Faith means something more than the selfish enjoyment of spiritual good, and he who only considers the interests of his own soul has failed to catch the true spirit of it. Man approaches the nature of God when he becomes a source of blessing to others. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Abraham was to be a blessing to mankind in the highest sense. A further expansion of this blessing promised to Abraham--
His cause was henceforth to be identified with the cause of God. “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” (Gen_12:3). “God promised further, to take sides with Abraham in the world, —share his friendships, and treat his enemies as His own. This is the highest possible pledge. This threatening against hostile people was signally fulfilled in the case of the Egyptians, Edomites, Amalekites, Moabites, Ammonites, and the greater nations—Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, Greek, and Roman.

People view this promise as not relevant to our day today, but, God's promises do not change; they remain forever. What was promised to Abraham then, still applies today to his descendants, and to those grafted in by faith in Christ. Paul clearly teaches on this in Romans chapter eleven, I advise reading the entire chapter.

The Church is God’s. Her enemies are His. Her friends are His also, and no weapon that is formed against her shall prosper, for He who has all power given unto Him shall be with her faithful servants, even to the end of the world.”

He was to be the source of the highest blessing to mankind. “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” 
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In the story of the call of Abraham we see the Sovereign hand of God and His working in an individual that would bear the stamp of Divine intervention in his live-down through time. It's affects are infinite, and it's lessons limitless. A final point to bring out in this short lesson: God appears to give no reason to conclude that Abraham was better than his neighbors; and, he did not choose the Lord, but the Lord him, and brought him out from amongst the idolaters. A vivid picture of how Christ brings a sinner out of the world and into His kingdom, through the work of the cross, and His ongoing working in his journey through this life- yes, we are pilgrims in this land, just as Abraham was.

GOD’S CALL AND PROMISE TO ABRAM

God’s commands are always associated with promises. Count the shall's and wills here. He does not give His reasons, but He is lavish of His promises. The keynote of Abram’s life was Separation. Step by step, until country, kindred, Lot, worldly alliances and fleshly expedients were one by one cast aside and he stood alone with God! Though he knew not whither he went, the father of the faithful obeyed, and crossed the wide and perilous deserts. It was this absolute and unquestioning obedience that endeared him to God. Let us ever obey and step out, though it seems as though there were nought but seething mist. We shall find it solidify under the tread of faith. Read Rom_4:16; Heb_11:8. Notice the combination of the Tent and Altar. The tent-life is natural to the man whose portion is God; and where he pitches his tent he will rear his altar. F.B. Meyer

The Exodus Song This Land Is Mine by Andy Williams
https://youtu.be/5yuaAaWLSLE?si=8RkYDu-fkkkkp07n