The Lord commands Abram to leave his people and his father‘s householdfor the land that He will show him. The Lord promises to make Abram into agreat nation and bless him. - P119
Abram goes with Sarai and Lot to Canaan as theLord had commanded him, and builds an altar to the Lord at Shechem, atthe great tree of Moreh. - P119
[NIV] 1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from yourcountry, your people and your father‘s household to theland I will show you.
[NLT] 1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, andyour father‘s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
- P118
2 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;I will make your name great,
and you will be ablessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;and all people on earth will be blessed through you."
- P118
Abram‘s journey with God begins
when things seem to have come toa lull. He has relocated to Harran with his family and there is nothingmuch to look forward to. - P120
It is then that God gives him the commandto leave and promises to make him into a great nation. It is a command to leave his
dead-end, human pursuits and go
where God leads so that he might enter
into a far-reaching, eternal blessing. - P120
Abram responds in faith,
gathers his family and sets out for Canaan.
God calls us to this same kind of faith,
where we may not see the accomplishment of His promise yet but choose to listen,
obey, and follow Him. - P120
Upon arriving in Canaan, God appears to Abram and promises to blesshim and give the land to his offspring.
In response, Abram builds an altar
to the Lord. Traveling further into Canaan, Abram settles nearBethel and once again builds an altar. This time, he calls on the
name ofthe Lord, pledging his loyalty
to God. - P120
In our walk with God, we need to regularly pause and recognize His presence, guidance, and provisionin our lives.
We may not build literal altars today
but we can consecrate ourselves for God
and worship Him for every milestone and chapter of our life‘s journey
as we demonstrate the faith that we have in His promises. - P120
Lead andguide me by Your Spirit, and may Your presence and provision accompanyme every step of the way. In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P121
[NIV] 10 Now there was a famine in the land, andAbram went down to Egypt to live there for a whilebecause the famine was severe. - P122
12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, This is his wife.‘
Then they will kill me but will let you live"
13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well and my life will be spared because of you."
- P122
Abram goes down to Egypt because there is a famine in Canaan. To save hisown life, Abram tells Sarai to lie that she is his sister. Pharaoh takes Sarai andtreats Abram well because of her. - P123
But the Lord inflicts serious diseases onPharaoh and his household because he took Sarai, so Pharaoh tells Abram toleave with his wife and all his possessions. - P123
On the journey to which God has called us, we can be certain that
unforeseen circumstances will get in the
way and our weaknesses willbe exposed. - P124
When famine strikes the land, Abram leaves Canaan andheads to Egypt in search of more favorable conditions.
There, his priority of self-preservation
leads him to lie to
Pharaoh to acquire his favor,
- P124
but this comes at the expense of being separated from his wife and
relinquishing his personal integrity. - P124
When we rely on ourselves instead
of trusting God, we make ourselves
more vulnerable to temptation,
which can lead us down a dark path. - P124
Let us keep our eyes fixed on God‘spromises and not let fear replace faith in our lives. - P124
While this passage says nothing about Abram‘s state of mind whenSarai is taken to Pharaoh‘s palace, he must deal with the consequencesof his actions. After discovering the truth about Sarai, Pharaoh rebukes Abram and expels him from Egypt. - P124
It is a humiliating lesson and one ofmany Abram will learn on his journey of faith. - P124
God will sometimes allow us to bear
the consequences of our failures, even if, in His grace, He causes some blessing to
result from it. When we face our weaknesses, - P124
let us not be discouraged but run back to Him and learn the lessons
He has for us so that we can mature
to be the people He has called us to be. - P124
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