GENESIS CHAPTER 12 ------------------ Verses 1-4, We see the call of Abram to get out of the land of the Chaldeans and go into the land promised to him. He was 75 years old when he left Haran (verse 4), which was in the year 2021. In Genesis, we see THREE great beginnings. 1) The beginning of the human race in Adam 2) The new beginning of the post-diluvian world in Noah and his three sons. 3) The beginning of "The Chosen Nation" in Abram. The number three is the number of the Godhead. The first 11 chapters trace from Adam to Abram as a foundation for the beginning of the "Chosen Nation." The focus of the remainder of the Old Testament and really the whole Bible is the nation that will come from Abram and the Messiah that will come from that nation. It is in Messiah that all nations will be blessed. The call - 1) The LORD (Jehovah) called Abram. Stephen called him the "God of Glory" in Acts 7:2. Ac 7:2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 2) The person of Abram - a sinner - his family tree was one of idolaters. Jos 24:2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, [even] Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. Isa 51:1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock [whence] ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit [whence] ye are digged. 2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah [that] bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. 3) Time of the Call - in the land of Mesopotamia, in the city of Ur of the Chaldees, which is situated in the region of the Persian Gulf, modern day Iraq. 4) The nature of the call - leave thy country, and kindred, and thy father's house. Leave a land of idolatry and his idolatrous kindred, and go and serve the LORD. Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, wrote: 1Th 1:9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; It was an unconditional call. Though it was necessary that Abram obey the call, he was given grace to obey it. It was not nullified when Abram stopped short and dwelt in Haran. Notice the "I wills" in verse 2 and 3 and then in verse 7. 5) His obedience and lack of obedience. He left Ur, but went with his father and Lot and stopped in Haran. Act 7:2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. 4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. NOTE: It took "death" to separate him from his father's house. Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. But Hebrews speaks of his faith in obeying: Heb 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. Verse 5-6, Abram went forth from Haran after his father's death and passed through the land of Canaan, but did not stop there. Ac 7:5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not [so much as] to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when [as yet] he had no child. place of Sichem = "back" or "shoulder" plain of Moreh = "teacher" The Canaanite was then still in the land. Verse 7, It is there that the LORD appeared unto him and promised this land to his seed. Abram builds an altar unto the Lord. There was no altar for Abram in Haran. Our altar is the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is only when we come to him that we have an altar. Verse 8, Pitched his tent between these two: Bethel = "house of God" towards the west. Hai = "heap of ruins" towards the east. ( The gospel was sent west, and when Paul would have gone into the east the Spirit forbid him. ) Act 16:6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. The believer is pitched between the old man and the new man. The old man still gives him problems. Verse 9-10, Abram's second failure. He did not stay in the land of Canaan but journeyed on southward. And when a famine (the trial of Abram's faith) came in the land, he went on into Egypt (a symbol of the world and the arm of the flesh), instead of trusting God. This the first mention of Egypt in the Bible. It is similar to Babylon, in that it represents the world and is a menace to the people of God. Isa 31:1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because [they are] many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! These trials were designed to conform Abram to what God wants him to be. Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: [when] he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Abram (Abraham) finally when he was tried: Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten [son], Verses 11-20, Abram's lie to Pharaoh. It was a half lie, because Sarai was his half sister, but his intent was deception. SEE Gen 20:12 And yet indeed [she is] my sister; she [is] the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. She must have been really fair, because the princes of Pharaoh commended her before Pharaoh. Pharaoh made many gifts to Abram, because of Sarai, when he took her into his house. Abram, due to the fear of men, was willing to endanger the honour of the one who should have been dearest to him, besides the LORD. Pr 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. In verse 17 we see that the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house because of the matter with Sarai, Abram's wife. In verse 18 Pharaoh understands why. The Hebrew that was translated "because of" in verse 17 is dabar {daw-baw'} means "word." 1) speech, word, speaking, thing 1a) speech 1b) saying, utterance 1c) word, words 1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension) So, it literally means because of the word of Sarai. Some of the Jews have thought that an angel stood by Sarai and the angel smote Pharaoh every time Sarai commanded him, but the sense seems to be that Sarai had informed Pharaoh about the fact that she was Abram's wife and that was the reason for the plagues. Pharaoh was upset with Abram and sent him away out of Egypt with all that he had, including the gifts made by Pharaoh.