Genesis 12:1-9 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
How did Abram hear the voice of God or even know that it was God who was calling him? Did Abram hear an audible voice or have a dream? And what caused Abram to trust God, pack up his family and all his belongings, and leave the comforts of Haran?
So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
What happened when Abram arrived in Canaan and found out that it was already inhabited? How did Abram explain his arrival to the Canaanites? Imagine that conversation.
“Greetings, stranger, what brings you to Canaan?”
“Thank you.” Certainly, Abram could be polite, but he would have to be circumspect about his reasons for coming; after all, if Abram were to announce that some God was going to give him the land these people were occupying, they would probably try to eliminate his party and him as swiftly as possible. It’s likely that Abram explained his travels as part of a search for grazing for his animals, a motive that the Canaanites could understand. Meanwhile, Abram was looking around, scoping things out, and trying to get a feel for the lay of the land.
Notice that God promised the land of Israel to Abram’s descendants. Throughout the Bible, God continued to reinforce that promise. Abram left the comforts of Haran for unknown hardships and dangers in Canaan, and it was that trust and faith that secured Canaan for Abram. Throughout the history of Israel, there were always people of faith who continued to trust that God would allow them to remain in the land if they would obey Him.
What can we learn from Abram’s risky behavior? If we want God’s best for our lives, we must be willing to lay aside everything we treasure, trusting that God will give us something better. We also need to copy Abram, for as soon as he had opportunity, he built altars and worshiped God. Although we might not build altars, we must continue to worship God to receive His best, for true worship means abandoning our will to receive God’s will for our lives instead. May God help us to trust, to have faith, to worship, and to follow His leading, even when things seem risky.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You when You are calling us to leave the familiar and comfortable for the unknown and risky. Help us to realize that Your best is always infinitely better than anything we can devise ourselves. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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