We know this man by the name Abraham, but he was born Abram. God changed his name at a critical point in the narrative, but for the first 99 of his 175 years, he answered to Abram.
He lived around the end of the Early Bronze Age (circa 2000 BC) in a thriving, bustling, cultured city known as āUr of the Chaldeansā (Genesis 11:28). The land of the Chaldeansāalso known as Mesopotamiaāwas located in present-day Iraq, which archaeologists and historians call the cradle of civilization because this is where ancient people first gathered into cities and established societies. āFew periods from ancient history are as well documented by artifacts and inscriptions as is the time of Abraham.ā[4] Consequently, we know a lot about this manās culture, religion, beliefs, and everyday life.
Abram was an ordinary member of his society, no different from his neighbors. Upon his birth, he received a name that means āthe father is exaltedāāmost likely a reference to the deity worshiped by his family. People in ancient Mesopotamia worshiped a pantheon of mythical gods, ruled by the moon god, Sin, whom they regarded as āthe lord of heavenā and āthe divine creator.ā[5] Like his relatives and neighbors, Abram worshiped idols and accepted mythology as truth (see Joshua 24:2). Even so, God appeared specifically to Abram and gave him personalized instructions: āLeave your native country, your relatives, and your fatherās family, and go to the land that I will show youā (Genesis 12:1).
It is important to note that God didnāt appear to a group of people and then offer a general invitation to follow. We should also observe that Abram didnāt seek out God for a relationship; God approached him. Itās doubtful Abram had even heard of the one true Creator God before that point. By an act of pure grace, God dipped His hand into that idolatrous hole to select Abram out of all people.
The Lord chose Abram for reasons known only in heaven. Abram did nothing to earn or deserve Godās favor.
Why this particular man? Did Abram turn from the idols of his ancestors and seek God? Did he make himself worthy of divine mercy? Far from it! The Lord chose Abram for reasons known only in heaven. We can say for certain that Abram did nothing to earn or deserve Godās favor. Nevertheless, the Lord appeared to this ignorant, sinful, superstitious idol worshiper and said, āLeave your native country, your relatives, and your fatherās family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through youā (Genesis 12:1-3).
Godās call of Abram began with an imperativeāa clear command. God told him to leave his country for a land that He would show him .Ā .Ā . sometime later. To receive the promised blessings, Abram had to leave behind everything he relied on for safety and provisionāhomeland and relativesāand trust that God would honor His commitment. A New Testament writer reflected on his ancestor, stating, āIt was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was goingā (Hebrews 11:8).
Stop and think about that for a moment. Put yourself in Abramās place. Youāre roughly seventy-five years old, with a wife in her midsixties. Youāve lived in one place your whole life. You have an established homestead in a familiar city with family and a community youāve known since birth. Suddenly, the Lord appears to you in a physical manifestationāwhether visual or auditoryāyou cannot deny as authentically supernatural, and He tells you to pack up and hit the road for an undisclosed destination. Can you imagine Abramās conversations with friends and neighbors?
āOh, I see youāre packing up, Abram.ā
āYeah.ā
āReally? Youāre leaving town?ā
āYes, we leave in a few days.ā
āYou know, youāre not getting any younger. Are you ready to start all over somewhere?ā
āYep, Sarai and I are moving.ā
āReally? So, where are you going?ā
āI donāt know.ā
āYouāre packing up everything you have, leaving everything familiar, and you have no idea where youāre headed? Have you lost your mind?ā
Everything within us recoils from making big changes without thorough planning. Most of us need to see where weāre jumping before committing to a leap. But God called Abram to obey this call without complete information. Abram didnāt know where he was going, so he couldnāt trust in a well-thought-out, long-range plan. Nevertheless, the Lord gave Abram sufficient information to make a reasonable decision.
When Abram encountered the Lord, he knew that God was real. The awesome splendor of Godās presence left him no room for doubt. Moreover, the Lord gave him three specific promises that made obedience worth his trouble. While his neighbors thought he had lost his mind, Abram had good reason to trust in God, even without knowing every detail of the plan.
Charles R. Swindoll, Abraham: One Nomadās Amazing Journey of Faith (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2014).
We have just released a new Bible Study on the life of Abraham.
These lessons are available on Amazon, as well as a part of Good Questions Have Groups Talking Subscription Service. Like Netflix for Bible Lessons, one low subscription gives you access to all our lessons–thousands of them. For a medium-sized church, lessons are as little as $10 per teacher per year.
Each lesson consists of 20 or so ready-to-use questions that get groups talking. Answers are provided in the form of quotes from respected authors such as John Piper, Max Lucado and Beth Moore.
These lessons will save you time as well as provide deep insights from some of the great writers and thinkers from today and generations past.Ā I also include quotes from the same commentaries that your pastor uses in sermon preparation.
Ultimately, the goal is to create conversations that change lives.
Subscribe To Our Newsletter And get a FREE copy of The Effective Bible Teacher
Download your free book here https://www.joshhunt.com/Effective.pdf