Introduction
Bible Study
Please open your Bible to the book of Genesis, chapter 12.
As we look at the life of Abram—whom we later know as Abraham—we are looking at the “father of the faithful.” But as we dive into these first twenty verses, I want you to see something that should give every one of us a great deal of hope: Abraham wasn’t a plastic saint. He wasn’t a man who had it all together from day one. He was a man, just like you and me, who had to learn how to trust God one step at a time.
Incomplete Obedience and the Patient Grace of God
In Genesis 12:1, the LORD tells Abram to get out of his country and away from his family. Now, if we look closely at the record, we see that Abram didn’t fully obey right away. He took his father, Terah, with him and they stopped halfway in a place called Haran.
Have you ever “stopped at Haran”? God speaks to your heart, He gives you a direction, but you only go halfway. Maybe you’re hanging onto some old associations or some old habits that God told you to leave behind. Abram settled in Haran until his father died. It was a delay.
But here is the beautiful thing about our Lord: God didn’t revoke the call. Just because you’ve had a lapse in obedience, or you’ve stalled out in your spiritual growth, doesn’t mean God is finished with you. He is the God of the second chance, and the third, and the hundredth. He waited for Abram to move, and He is waiting for you to take that next step today.
The Covenant of Blessing
In Genesis 12:2-3, God lays out this incredible unconditional covenant. He promised to make Abram a great nation and to bless him. But notice the “why” behind the blessing: “And thou shalt be a blessing.” God doesn’t bless us just so we can hoard it; He pours into us so that we can pour out into others.
And then we see that glorious promise in verse 3: “In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” That is a direct pointing to Jesus Christ. Through the lineage of this one man, the Savior of the world would come. This is God’s plan of redemption starting to take center stage.
Walking by Sight, Not by Faith
By the time we get to Genesis 12:10, a famine hits the land. Now, notice that we don’t read anything about Abram seeking the Lord here. He just reacts. He heads down to Egypt.
Whenever we leave the place of promise because things get a little difficult, we usually end up in a place of compromise. Abram gets scared. He looks at his wife, Sarai, who was a beautiful woman even at sixty-five years old, and he hatches a scheme. He tells her, “Tell them you’re my sister so they don’t kill me” (Genesis 12:13).
Here is the “father of faith” acting out of total fear! He’s willing to put his wife at risk to save his own skin. It’s a reminder that there is no “super-saint” status that exempts us from our fallen nature. We are all capable of failing. But look at the faithfulness of God in Genesis 12:17-20. Even when Abram blew it, God stepped in. He plagued Pharaoh’s house and protected Sarai, not because Abram was good, but because God is faithful.
Practical Application for the Believer
What do we take home from this today?
- Don’t stay in Haran. If there is an area of your life where you’ve given God “partial obedience,” realize that partial obedience is still disobedience. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to go all the way with Jesus.
- Trust the Provider, not the Economy. When the “famine” comes into your life—whether it’s financial, emotional, or physical—don’t run to “Egypt” (the world’s way of doing things). Stay in the land of promise and wait on the Lord.
- Rest in His Grace. If you’ve failed this week, don’t let the enemy tell you that you’re disqualified. If God could use a lying, fearful Abram to birth a nation, He can certainly use you.
A Challenge for the Week
I challenge you this week to identify one thing you’ve been “carrying” from your past that God has told you to leave behind. Whether it’s a grudge, a worldly dependency, or a half-hearted commitment, leave it at the “altar” this week and move forward into the fullness of what He has for you.
An Invitation to New Life
Perhaps you are reading this and you feel like you are wandering in a far country. You’ve tried to find “blessing” in your own strength, and you’re exhausted.
The greatest blessing promised to Abram was the coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus didn’t just come to be a good teacher; He came to be your Substitute. He took your sins and mine upon Himself and shed His precious blood on the cross to pay the debt we couldn’t pay. But the story didn’t end in a grave. His resurrection declares for all eternity that He is God, Savior, and Lord. If you don’t know Him, you can start your journey today. Simply turn from your way, trust in His finished work, and ask Him to be the Lord of your life. He’s been waiting for you to come home.