Genesis 11:10-12:9
Genesis 11:10-12:9
These passages of Scripture are our first introduction to a man named Abram and his wife, Sarai. God would later change their names to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham is not just an important figure in the book of Genesis, he is an incredibly important figure for all of Scripture. He is a patriarch of the faith, the beginning of the line through which Christ would be born. It is difficult to understand the storyline of the Old Testament without understanding who he was. I highly encourage you to study these passages more in depth, but I will mainly be focusing on Genesis 12:1-3.
In Genesis 12:1, God is telling Abram to leave his home country and family and go “to the land that I [God] will tell you.” We are fairly mobile people, so this may not strike us as shocking, but this was out of the ordinary for people back then. To move away from where you grew up, where you had land and relatives, and take with you all of your possessions and people was a gargantuan task. This was a crazy risk that came at a high personal cost. All of his support systems were being taken away from him.
It is interesting to me that this verse says, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house”. Each is a little more extreme, a little more uncomfortable. But the promise God gave him was motivating enough for him to obey. This wasn’t just the promise of land, which in and of itself was a very big deal, but also the promise that God would be there. God would show him and be there with him! This is a foreshadowing, a glimpse of God’s desire to dwell with His people.
In verses 2 and 3, God is telling Abram that his line will be blessed and be a blessing to all the families of the earth. These verses are the answer to the problems of the world. God wants the people in His land to show who He is to the rest of the world, showing He is worthy of all praise and honor and glory. Through their obedience to Him, they were supposed to be a light to other nations. However, what they actually did most of the time was demonstrate how in need of a Savior they really were.
God did bless the world through this line, but not how they may have thought He would. God sent His Son, Jesus, through this family, in order for Him to live a perfect life, die the death that we deserve for our sins, rise from the dead on the third day to defeat sin and death, and offer us a way to be saved.
The same God who told Abraham to go in Genesis 12:1 is the same God who tells us to go and make disciples in Matthew 28:19. In this way we still are to be a blessing to the earth.
By: Kaitlin White
These passages of Scripture are our first introduction to a man named Abram and his wife, Sarai. God would later change their names to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham is not just an important figure in the book of Genesis, he is an incredibly important figure for all of Scripture. He is a patriarch of the faith, the beginning of the line through which Christ would be born. It is difficult to understand the storyline of the Old Testament without understanding who he was. I highly encourage you to study these passages more in depth, but I will mainly be focusing on Genesis 12:1-3.
In Genesis 12:1, God is telling Abram to leave his home country and family and go “to the land that I [God] will tell you.” We are fairly mobile people, so this may not strike us as shocking, but this was out of the ordinary for people back then. To move away from where you grew up, where you had land and relatives, and take with you all of your possessions and people was a gargantuan task. This was a crazy risk that came at a high personal cost. All of his support systems were being taken away from him.
It is interesting to me that this verse says, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house”. Each is a little more extreme, a little more uncomfortable. But the promise God gave him was motivating enough for him to obey. This wasn’t just the promise of land, which in and of itself was a very big deal, but also the promise that God would be there. God would show him and be there with him! This is a foreshadowing, a glimpse of God’s desire to dwell with His people.
In verses 2 and 3, God is telling Abram that his line will be blessed and be a blessing to all the families of the earth. These verses are the answer to the problems of the world. God wants the people in His land to show who He is to the rest of the world, showing He is worthy of all praise and honor and glory. Through their obedience to Him, they were supposed to be a light to other nations. However, what they actually did most of the time was demonstrate how in need of a Savior they really were.
God did bless the world through this line, but not how they may have thought He would. God sent His Son, Jesus, through this family, in order for Him to live a perfect life, die the death that we deserve for our sins, rise from the dead on the third day to defeat sin and death, and offer us a way to be saved.
The same God who told Abraham to go in Genesis 12:1 is the same God who tells us to go and make disciples in Matthew 28:19. In this way we still are to be a blessing to the earth.
By: Kaitlin White
3 Comments
Amen! Great blog post! I look back at my own life. If I hadn't moved on to where God wanted me to be, I would have missed out on so much. I didn't understand it at the time. Now, I know that it was God moving me along.
Great post Kaitlin! So applicable to the lives of believers. The more uncomfortable the task, the more grace, faith and ability God provides, and with obedience comes immeasurable blessings.
I love how you pointed out that sometimes our discomfort is necessary for other people's blessing. Like Jesus' Cross, Abram & Sarai's move, Noah's ark, etc - and like the problems we encounter in our lives today. They're always for our good & God's glory - and always for someone else's blessing, in ways we may not ever realize till Heaven, like the Israelites of Hebrews 11:13 ("all these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it"). It's encouraging & comforting & perspective-broadening. Thanks!