Genesis 11:10—12:20

In the first eleven chapters of Genesis, we have followed God’s interaction with humanity starting with his amazing creation. Then rebellion and sin began in the Garden of Eden, hit a low point of wickedness that resulted in the flood, and continued with mankind attempting to build a stairway to heaven. For sure, men and women will continue to be dogged by spiritual revolt, evil, and pride, but in Genesis 12, God begins a new story when he called a man named Abram (Abraham) and promised to make him the father of a great nation. To show the significance of this new section of Genesis, here is a study note from the NET Bible.

It would be hard to overestimate the value of [Abram’s call] and this divine plan for the theology of the Bible. Here begins God’s plan to bring redemption to the world. The promises to Abram will be turned into a covenant in Gen. 15 and 22 . . . and will then lead through the Bible to the work of the Messiah.^[1]

As we have said before, to understand the Bible, you must understand God’s story in Genesis.

After the account of the tower of Babel, Moses records the genealogy of Noah’s son, Shem, which takes us through nine generations to a man named Terah, who lived in Ur of the Chaldeans. Terah had three sons—Abram, Nahor, and another son, Haran, who died. Abram and Nahor were both married. Abram’s wife was Sarai, and we are told that she was unable to have children (Genesis 11:30). At some point, Terah left Ur of the Chaldeans to head to the land of Canaan—present-day Israel. Abram, Sarai, and Haran’s son, Lot, were with Terah. The shortest distance to Canaan was due west, but unfortunately, that route crossed the Arabian Desert. Terah and his family headed north through Mesopotamia—located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers.” Terah never reached the land of Canaan. After traveling some five hundred miles, he settled in a strategic city of the ancient world called Haran—located in present-day Turkey. That’s where Terah died.

With the story of Terah complete, Moses begins the last section of Genesis with God’s call on Abram. Moses gave us an overview of Abram in the proceeding verses, but now he takes us back to Ur of the Chaldeans, where God first spoke to Abram (Genesis 15:7, Acts 7:1-8).  Ur of the Chaldeans, a pagan city that worshipped the moon god, Nanna, was in present-day Iraq, about two hundred miles southeast of Baghdad.

Genesis 12:1-4
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

God’s call on Abram was radical. He was to leave everything familiar—his country, his extended family, and his father’s house. God’s call was a call of faith.  God simply told Abram to go to “the land that I will show you.” The writer to the Hebrews explained, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). Just stop and think how difficult that would have been. We like to know where we are headed and when we are going to get there. But Abram trusted in the faithfulness of God. He trusted in God’s promises that God would make him into a great nation and, through him, bless others. In fact, through Abram “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Let’s pause here and review how God’s plan for our salvation through Jesus is taking shape.

Remember, in the garden, Adam and Eve had everything they could ever want or need. God did not design them as robots but gave them free will to choose to love him. He clearly told them that disobedience would result in spiritual death (separation from him) and physical death (the soul separated from the body). They rebelled, and sin and death entered the world. The intention of man’s heart is evil from youth (Genesis 8:21). In Genesis 3:15, God told Satan that he would send One through Eve who would crush his head. Now the plan begins to unfold. The One who will come to crush Satan’s head is the One by whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. With Abram, God starts a nation through which he will send the Savior. The “promises to Abram . . . will then lead through the Bible to the work of the Messiah.”^[2]

When Abram was seventy-five years old, he headed to the land of Canaan. The Canaanites were still in the land at that time, so he didn’t settle. At Shechem, God reiterated, “To your offspring, I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7). Abram worshipped the Lord there and kept on moving to Bethel, where he pitched his tent, built an altar, and worshipped the Lord. And then he kept moving south to the Negev—a desert region in southern Israel. Now here’s where an interesting account takes place.

There was a famine in the Negev area, so Abram took his family to Egypt. And there, this great man of great faith became a man of great fear. He was afraid that the Egyptians, upon seeing Sarai, “a woman beautiful in appearance,” would kill him because of her.  To protect himself, Abram lied and told them that Sarai was his sister. Pharaoh took Sarai to be his wife, but the “Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife” (Genesis 12:17). Pharaoh confronted Abram and quickly sent him and Sarai away.

Sarai was Abram’s half-sister (Genesis 20:12), but that does not excuse his deceit. Abram’s behavior reminds us of ourselves, doesn’t it? Sometimes, we can demonstrate tremendous faith; sometimes, we demonstrate great fear. We learn valuable insight from Abram, and we will keep learning throughout Genesis that God doesn’t choose perfect people. He keeps us dependent on him. And he is gracious, even when we fail.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Genesis 11:10—12:20. Slow down as you read Genesis 12:1-3. Read it again and think of Jesus, by whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. God is establishing a nation through which to send the Savior.

Prayer and Application
What is God calling you to do? Are you waiting for specifics? Or are you willing to step out in faith and follow God? Ask God to give you everything you need to do what he is calling you to do.

Have Questions?
As we stated earlier, it is hard to overestimate the importance of this passage in biblical theology.  Send us your questions. Our team is here to assist you as you explore God’s Word. Simply submit your question below, and we’ll get back to you soon.

^[1] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Gen. 12:1.
^[2] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Gen. 12:1.