20130801 Thursday, August 1 2013
Genesis 12: Abram's Mission

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"The LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee"

The calling of Abram actually began in the days of his father Terah who led his family out of the southern Tigris and Euphrates area, the birthplace of humanity (twice - in the days of Adam, and in the days of Noah; see Adam and Adamah and Genesis 10: The First Nations Of The New World), to Haran in what is today Syria. They followed along the well-watered "Fertile Crescent" route that runs from the Tigris-Euphrates valley to the Nile River in Egypt.

Years later, Haran would be the place where Isaac and Jacob found wives among their Iraqi-ancestry relatives, and where nearly all of the Israelite tribal patriarchs, including Judah, were born (see The Syrian Marriage Wells and A Biography Of Jacob: The Jacobites Of Syria; see also The Syrian Tongue Of Jesus).

"11:27 Now these are the generations of Terah:

Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 11:28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

11:31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

11:32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran." (Genesis 11:27-32 KJV)

With the first stage of the journey completed under Terah, the LORD (Who was and is Jesus Christ; see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God; also What Did Jesus Christ Say About Abraham?) commanded Abram (the LORD hadn't changed his name to Abraham yet) to "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." Why? "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3 KJV)

"So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him." With Abram was his wife Sarai (the LORD hadn't changed her name to Sarah yet), his nephew Lot and a few others ("the souls that they had gotten in Haran"; see What Does The Bible Really Say About Your Soul?).

12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. (Genesis 12:4-5 KJV)

Abram journeyed through the entire length, north to south, of the land of Canaan until he reached "the south" i.e. the Negev Desert (see The Negev Of Israel).

"12:6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 12:9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. (Genesis 12:6-9 KJV)

As would happen to his descendants (as Abraham later knew would happen; see The Exodus Prophecy), a famine in the land of Canaan forced Abram to temporarily go to the well-watered Nile Delta region.

"12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 12:11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12:12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 12:13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

12:14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 12:15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 12:16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

12:17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. 12:18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 12:19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 12:20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had." (Genesis 12:10-20 KJV)

Noah and Abraham were righteous men who were very similar in many ways (see also The LORD's Seed Covenants With The Two Men Of Iraq). Noah and Abraham are mentioned together in the "faith chapter of the Holy Bible.

"11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:7-9 KJV)

Fact Finder: Did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob / Israel ever know a country named "Israel" in their physical lifetimes?
See Camped Out In Canaan