START RIGHT (GEN. 12:1-13:1)
A wise Chinese proverb says it all: “A good beginning is half the job done.”
We all want to start right -- a new job, a new family married, new year, new believers.
About 1,800 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, after the chaos at Babel, and before there were Jews, a man by the former name of Abram received a call from God to settle in a new land, to build a great nation, and to be a personal blessing to all the families of the earth. Of course, we understand now what they stand for: the land of Palestine, the Jewish people, and coming of Jesus Christ.
Our overall theme is taken from 2 Corinthians 5:7, “Walk by faith, not by sight.” Abraham is rightly known as the father of all who believe (Rom 4:11).
Abram came from a well-known family, and his father Terah held a unique and distinguished place in the Jewish genealogy. His father, though an idol-worshipper (Josh 24:2), started the long 1,000-mile trek from Ur of the Chaldeans to Canaan (Gen 11:31), but died in Haran, 400 miles away from the destination.
After his father died, Abram was with his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot when he heard God’s voice.
Our concern at this point for our own reflection is this, How does God want us to start our spiritual journey right? What do we have to look out for? Why is a good first step a big benefit for us in our relationship with God? Let us see three things God would have us do.
I. GO FORTH AND TRUST IN THE LORD (12:1-9) “So Abram left, as the Lord had told him...” (12:1)
This kind of dedication requires nothing short of absolute trust. D. L. Moody said: “Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in your friends, and they will die and leave you; but trust in God, and you will never be confounded in time or eternity.”
What is this trust in the Lord like? For Abraham and for all who desire to see their trust in the Lord grow, three tests await us:
A. Forsake everything
Abram left wealthy Haran, centrally located and rich in learning. He also left his relatives, familiar surroundings, and a settled way of life.
B. Fear Not
Verse 5 tells us that Abraham roamed the hostile territory of the Cannanites. Abram was in the occupied territories of the Canaanites who were wary of their lowly status, in comparison to Shem’s descendants.
C. Follow Him
We call this the “one step at a time” moment -- one day at a time, one place at a time, and one thing at a time. I drive my friends crazy in this matter. One time, I went to a conference with some pastors and during a short break, I asked the one nearest to me two quick but bothersome questions: What are we having for lunch? Where are we going for dinner? Abram does not know the answer to the “where” question. He only knew “who” he was following, and that was enough for him.
II. GO FORTH AND TESTIFY TO OTHERS (12:6-9) “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he went on to pitch tot he Lord and called don the name of the Lord.” (12:7-8.)
What is to testify to others? It’s like sharing our personal testimony-- to tell others who we were before, where we have been, what we now know, and how are we different.
Abraham built altars in Shechem (12:7), the place between Bethel and Ai (12:8), and other places like Hebron (13:18), and Mount Moriah (22:9) Interestingly, Noah and Isaac both built one (8:20; 26:25), and Jacob two (33:20; 35:7). Abraham built as many altars as all of them together. This will be the watershed of his sojourn in Canaan.
How were the altars meaningful to Abram? What do they mean for us today? Why is it important to keep them?
A. Personal Worship Markers
Abram called on the name of the Lord (12:8; 13:4). Who else called on the name of the Lord (4:26)? The godly line of Seth. Worship was a big part of Abram’s life-- in this initial travel, and up to the last major account of his life (22:9).
B. Public Witness Markers
Abram built an altar there to the Lord (12:7) and called on the name of the Lord (12:7). The inscriptions, words, and the location said it all to the Cannanites.
C. Practical Whereabouts Markers
Abraham’s grandson Jacob returned and built an altar at the same place where his forefather Abraham had traveled and worshipped (33:18-20). Interestingly, Jacob settled here after his anxious reunion with his brother Esau.
III. GO FORTH AND TELL THE TRUTH (12:10-13:1) Take a moment to read Genesis 12:10-13.
The book The Day America Told the Truth says that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about matters they consider trivial, and 36 percent lie about important matters. 80 percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent to friends, 73 percent to siblings, and 69 percent to spouses. (Daily Bread 8/28/92)
The sister act - she is my sister- occured twice in Abram's life (12:13, 20:2). Was Abraham right in saying that Sarai was his sister? Technically, yes. In truth, she was his sister from a different mother (20:12). Sarai was she not only Abram’s sister, but also his wife. Legally inaccurate and morally wrong.
Why did Abraham the father of faith succumb to deception?
A. He Was at the Wrong Place (12:10)
Now there was famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the land was severe (12:10).
The first big test for Abram came in the form of a famine. Abram chose the easy way out (12:10). Where was he supposed to be? Canaan. When the famine came, he panicked, and took shelter in Egypt.
Was it in God’s plan? Where did he end up in the end? The original place of worship (13:1-3). In fact, recovery from Egypt was answered by what Abram did best before - building an altar and calling on the name of the Lord.
Later, Abraham would have many problems as a result of taking another concubine, Hagar. Guess what her nationality was? She was probably one of the servants given by Pharaoh (12:16).
B. He Had a Wrong Purpose (12:11-12)
Say that you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you (12:13).
Did Abraham care about his wife? Probably yes, but not as much as he loved his own neck. The words of Abraham to his wife say it all: “Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for you sake and my life will be spare because of you (12:16).
C. He Had a Wrong Perception
When the Egyptians see you, they will say, `This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live (12:12)
Who was the only one who came out right in the end? Actually, Pharaoh! Even the killer Egyptians were not all that bad. They knew how to say good things (12:15), loved and honored their king, while Abram quietly kept all the gifts (12:16).
Abraham was bombarded with three separate questions, a what-question, a why-didn’t-you question and a why-did-you question: What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? (12:18-19)
Let us get our lives back in focus, let us stay in the right place at the right time. Not only must we start our journey right we must stay on course. As Paul says we must finish the race!
