"God Builds a Nation"
Genesis 12:1-5
There are four great cycles of sin, Rebellion – Retribution – Repentance – Restoration, found in Genesis 1-11. First, Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. They were the first humans and also the first to selfishly rebel against holy God (Gen 2:16-17; 3:1-7). In retribution for their sin, God cursed woman with birth pains; man with sweaty work; and cast them both out of Eden (Gen 3:16-19). As a sign of repentance/restoration, God did not kill them but made clothes for them (Gen 3:21). Second, Cain killed his brother Abel in a fit of jealously (Gen 4:1-10). So, God gave Cain a mark, and he became a fugitive from other men (Gen 4:11-12). However, Cain cried out to God for relief and was protected (Gen 4:13-17). Third, in the time of Noah, humankind multiplied but became more and more wicked and corrupt. Even human thoughts were evil (Gen 6:5-6). In retribution for sin God decided to destroy mankind and animals with a great flood (Gen 6:7, 17). However, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen 6:8). He and his family and some of the animals were spared in the ark. Four, at the Tower of Babel humankind sought to build a tower to be equal to God (Gen 11:4). In retribution for their sin God confounded human language and scattered them (Gen 11:5-9). Would humankind be restored? The question of restoration is left open. What next, we might ask? God must step in to provide a way for sin-tainted human beings to come back to him. He starts his plan of restoration by choosing a man, Abram, and his wife, Sarai, through whom he will build a family and ultimately a nation. God calls Abram and makes promises to him in Genesis 12:1-5.
1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
God called Abram, whose name means “blessed father,” to join Him on a journey to become Abraham, meaning “father of many.” Life is a journey we each undertake. It is a journey best shared with God. Abraham’s journey is our journey too. Like Abraham, we must hear from the Lord; Do hard things; and Be blessed.
Hear from the Lord (12:1)
Abraham had to be listening way down in Ur of the Chaldees in order to hear God’s call to Canaan. What an unlikely pair for God to call—an old man and woman past their prime. God chooses to work through those who are weak to display His mighty power. All of us are weak in the face of mighty God and His plans for us. We need Him to succeed. We must be listening to hear God’s voice each day—Bible; prayer; circumstances. God is always there both to speak and to listen. We must engage in the conversation.
Do Hard Things
The journey with God is not always easy, but it is always good. Abram was called to leave his homeland when he was 75 years old (Ge 12:1). Abram had to wait 25 years for God to produce an heir (Ge 21:5). Then, Abram was commanded to sacrifice Isaac, his God-given heir (Ge 22:1-2). Life is filled with new challenges and change as we follow the Lord. As we do the hard things God calls us to do in His name, we know that God is with us every step. God did for us on Mt. Moriah the very thing he called Abraham to do with Isaac—sacrifice his one and only son. As the Apostle John would later record regarding God’s one and only son:
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16, NIV).
God’s son, Jesus, was not spared but took the punishment for our sins that we may have a way to come back to relationship with God, the Father.
Be Blessed (Ge 12:2-3)
God promised Abraham three blessings as he joined God on the journey of life. First, God would make Abram into a “great nation” (2). Possession of the Promised Land was a key to becoming a great nation. Abraham’s descendants—Israel via Isaac and the Arabs via Ishmael—still possess the land. Second, God promised Abram to “make your name great” (2-3). Abraham is a revered patriarch of Christians, Muslims, and Jews. God promised Abraham both his blessing (“I will bless you”) and his protection (“I will curse those who curse you”). Third, God promised Abram “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (3). This third blessing is the most important part of the promise for the entire world is blessed through Abraham. The Apostle Paul says,
6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith (Gal 3:6-9, NIV).
Abraham’s Response? Obedience (Ge 12:4)
Abraham did the hard things God asked of him. What is the significance of his obedience? God was at work in Abraham to restore the relationship between God and mankind that sin had destroyed by human sin. Abraham—Isaac—Jacob—Judah------Jesus, the Messiah.
This is God’s answer of restoration from sin for all who repent and receive Jesus by personal faith. As we obey God, we are blessed just as Abraham was. We don’t obey to be blessed but because we love the Lord and know his plan for us is best. We receive the blessings as a bonus to our loving obedience. Our three blessings from God in the journey of life: 1) We receive a “great name” – We are called Christians, “little Christs;” 2) We are part of a “great nation” – the church; our brothers and sisters in Christ; and we receive the ultimate Promised Land of a walk with God each day of this life and ultimately in Heaven; 3) Our ultimate goal is not just to be blessed ourselves but to be a blessing to others. Believe; Be blessed; and Become a blessing in your life journey with God by obeying Him. The journey with God begins with our obedience to His Word.
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