In Genesis 12:1, God tells Abram to leave his country, his people and his father’s household to go to the land God is going to show him. In verse 4, Abram leaves just as God instructed him. When God says, “Get up and go”, will you pack up and leave? It could be a physical move, perhaps across town or across the country. It could be a financial move such as leaving your job and starting your own business. It could also be a spiritual move like starting a Bible journaling blog or leaving your church to start your own ministry. However, before you “make that move”, be certain that your steps are being ordered by the Lord.

God’s promises to Abram were to make him into a great nation and that He would bless him. He promised to make his name great and that Abram himself will be a blessing. God also promised to bless those blessing Abram and to curse those cursing him. Now, would you pack up and leave to receive God’s promises?

Abram’s nephew Lot leaves with him. Why did Lot leave? The Bible does not state that God told Lot to go with his Uncle Abram, nor does it state that God told Abram to take Lot with him. Could it be that Lot wanted to leave because he along with his Uncle Abram and his grandfather, Terah settled in a region named Haran, which also was Lot’s deceased father’s name? (Genesis 11:27-32) Could Abram have become like a father figure to Lot after his father died and he just wanted to go with him? In any case, be careful who you allow to journey through life with you. They could be a help or turn out to be a hindrance. You may even have to rescue them as we will see with Abram and Lot as we continue our journey.

At the age of 75, Abram takes his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions that he had acquired in Haran, including his servants and started the journey to the land of Canaan. Despite the fact that Canaanites were in the land where the great tree of Moreh at Sechem was, God promised Abram that his offspring would be given the land. Because Abram believed God, he built an altar there to the Lord. However, the journey was not complete. Abram left there and pitched his tent between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built another altar to the Lord and called on His name. Are you taking time to stop on your life’s journey to worship and thank God? Afterwards, the journey continued toward the South (Negev). There was a great famine in the land, so Abram went to Egypt.

Was Sarai “drop dead gorgeous”? Most definitely! Why, you ask? As they were about to enter Egypt, Abram told Sarai to tell the Egyptians that she is his sister. He feared that the Egyptians would say that she is his wife and would kill him, but let her live. Abram did not fear that he would be killed by the Egyptians so that they could take all of his possessions, including his servants. His fear was that they would kill him for Sarai. He thought that if the Egyptians thought she was his sister, he would be treated well and his life spared because of her. Well, it seems that his concerns were well-founded. When they arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians saw Sarai’s beauty and Pharaoh’s officials told him of her beauty and she was taken to the palace. Abram was treated well and given livestock, servants and camels.

The Lord caused serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because he took “Sister Sarai” to possibly become his wife. So, who told Pharaoh that Sarai was Abram’s wife? Sarai? Or did he just figure it out due to the timing of the diseases they suffered? Anyway, Pharaoh called for Abram and questioned his motives. Pharaoh gave Sarai back to Abram and told him to take her and go! Pharaoh instructed his men about Abram and sent them away with all he had.

Thank you for taking this journey through Genesis Chapter 12 with me. Our next stop is Genesis Chapter 13.

This post is dedicated to the loving memory of my Mom, who made her journey to heaven on April 3, 2017.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!