Promises to Abram

Topic: Faith
Passage: Genesis 12:1–20

July 10, 2022

Commentary

This is a pivotal chapter in the book of Genesis as God turns His attention from a rebellious humanity scattered by the judgment of Babel to one man, Abraham. At this point, Abraham was 75 years of age and had another 100 years to live (v. 4). The next twelve chapters of Genesis are devoted to the development of Abraham. The call of Abraham and his response to it are one of the most momentous events in history. At the time of the call Abraham was living in a land where heathen gods were worshiped. No sooner had he arrived than a famine struck the land. Abraham’s call included the fact that he was to be a blessing to all men, even as God has chosen us to be a help to others. One of the first things he did was to build an altar and worship the Lord.

Abraham decided to take his family to Egypt to avoid the famine (v. 10). This clever plan of Abraham’s was actually an act of faithlessness. Abraham had forgotten God in favor of the security of Egypt. Forsaking the path of faith always brings complications. Abraham thought he would be killed if the men of Egypt knew he was Sarah’s husband, but if they thought he was her brother they would treat him well, because they would need to make arrangements for her with him, and, besides, it would allow him to protect her (vv. 11-13). At first it seemed as if his plan was working great: Pharaoh treated Abraham well and provided him with all kinds of things to make him wealthy; however, it almost cost him his wife (vv. 14-16). Only divine intervention saved him. God through great plagues exposed his lie to Pharaoh, and Abraham and all his people were expelled from the country (vv. 17-20). Despite the trouble Abraham brought upon himself, God did not let the foolishness of this one man jeopardize His Plan.

Application

Faith takes God at His word and obeys Him. This is what Abraham did and that is what I need to do regardless of the comforts of life I may be enjoying.

Genesis 12:1– 20 (NET)

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household to the land that I will show you.

2 Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, so that all the families of the earth may receive blessing through you.”

4 So Abram left, just as the Lord had told him to do, and Lot went with him. (Now Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.) 5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they left for the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree of Moreh at Shechem. (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. 9 Abram continually journeyed by stages down to the Negev.

10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to stay for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he approached Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman. 12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. 13 So tell them you are my sister so that it may go well for me because of you and my life will be spared on account of you.”

14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s wife was taken into the household of Pharaoh, 16 and he did treat Abram well on account of her. Abram received sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.