January 5: Genesis 12 to 14

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012
Genesis 12 to 14


Today, we encounter Genesis's first longer-term subject, Abraham (later, Abraham).  While living in Haran, the Lord God makes a call on Abram's life, urging him to "leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."  Immediately, God promises a sevenfold blessing on Abraham and his descendants; indeed, Abram cannot fathom the depth of this promise, but, knowing of the life, death, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we may see the fulfillment.  Indeed, God had chosen Abram for His purposes. 

In Abram's responses to God's call, we witness the cosmic mystery of the interplay between God's choosing of His men or women and our responsibility for remaining faithful, trusting, and obedient to Him.  In a similar fashion to Abram, God has chosen each of those "included in Christ":  "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:11,12)  The ideal pattern remains the same:  God chooses; man responds; and God's purposes (His blessings) come to fruition.  Effective grace should call forth a response (James 2:26).

In today's accounts, we see both Abram's faithfulness and his flaws.  Like Abram, we seek to trust God, but we waver in the face or fear.  Each person contains a mixture of belief and unbelief; a recurring prayer of mine involves growing in trust, that God would increase my faith and reliance on Him.  While we have the testimony of creation, God's Word, and our experience that points to God's character of faithfulness, we often choose our own crutches.  As Abram and Sarai approach Egypt, he urges her to "say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."  As an aside, we understand from both Scripture (Philippians 2:1-4) and real-life experience that we should seek others' interest before our own.  As we interact with others and propose courses of action, we should pause if the plan only offers benefits to one party.  This win-lose suggestion "protected" Abram at Sarai's expense, but God later intervened.

Still, we trace our spiritual heritage through Abram because "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."  We celebrate his faith and those of other great men and women of God in Hebrews 11, where we read:  "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.  For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."  Abram knew his destination and his Guide.


(POTENTIALLY) INTRIGUING PARALLELS

1.  Abram heads to Egypt due to a famine near Canaan, but, around this time, he compromises a family member's honor (Sarai) through deception.  Sarai then becomes enmeshed in the royal household.  Three generations later, Joseph will become sold into slavery in Egypt and will wind up in the royal household, at which point his brothers will arrive searching for relief from another famine.

2.  Abram's descendants will also suffer from tendencies toward deception, both with livestock and their wives.  Abram himself will again claim that Sarai is his sister with Abimelech in Genesis 20.


QUESTIONS

1.  To what or where has God called you?
2.  How are you looking for your faith to grow in 2012?  On what testimonies of faithfulness may you lean?

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