Abram's Vision

Abram’s Vision

Genesis 12:1-7

This morning we continue with part 2 of a series, where we are looking at the vision held by some of the OT fathers.

Today’s man of vision is Abram. In Abram’s story there are so many places where Abram looses sight of the vision and God gets him back on track. But, today we will just look at the initial event I am reading from Genesis 12:1-5

The Call of Abram

1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

2 "I will make you into a great nation

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you."

4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

The story is familure enough. Most of us can explain the story if we are asked and probably get it close enough that our telling would be true enough.

Sometimes we know the stories a little too well. We fail to look at the problems and the surprises in the scriptures. We tend to loose the WOW that the story contains.

I hope you will recall that a couple of weeks ago we talked about Noah and how his vision, involved using a period of time that we would picture as being a life time today and building a boat to save him and his family from the flood that was to come. We learned from Noah that we are call to a life time of service to our God because we are saved from hell and death.

Let’s connect the previous message to today. Noah’s vision physically saved mankind. God was going to destroy the earth because of the sinful extremes of mankind. And it would have happened except for one righteous man.

However, as is man’s tendency, it isn’t long before things start getting out of control. The population is speaking a common language and has centered its civilization in a rather small and fertile plain know as Shinar. In their pride as a people, they decide to build a tower into the heavens. That is all in Chapter 11.

God responds to this situation by confusing the languages of all the people so that they take off in different directions. Eventually, Abram is born into a world that has only proven to be consistent in one thing - rejecting God.

Why is this significant? Because it is out of this background that God calls Abram to follow Him. Isn’t it amazing that a man born and raised in a culture of pagan religions and worship, hears the voice of God and responds by obeying God’s command?

How does this Abram guy, a pagan, actually hear God tell him anything?

For heavens sake, I have been a believer for at least 3 quarters of my life and all I get are feelings that I credit to God speaking to me. I had trouble deciding to go 6 miles when I returned to church for the kids. As hard as that seemed, IT had to be easy compared to people that have no history or knowledge of what church is about.

But, somehow it happens every day. Everyday people in our time that were not raised in a church home hear God’s voice. Over all the noise of TV, sports and materialism folks end up responding to God. And far as I know, that voice comes through the actions and words of people that already have a relationship. People like you and me. People are saved from eternal death and destruction through relationships. That is what salvation is…the acceptance of the relationship that God offers.

In Abram’s case, perhaps he heard a voice….That would be sort of cool….and sort of frightening…to here the voice of God.

He reacts and packs up his stuff, and slaves and wife and heads off to…

1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

Here is the first WOW that I want you to remember. He responded and headed of with a moving van and he had no clue where he was going and what he would do there.

He did that because of the word of God….not stated as a promise just stated..