“The Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee …. And I will bless thee, and make thy name great.” Gen_12:1-2.
THE CLUE to the beginning of this chapter is given in various parts of the Bible. From Act_7:2-5, we learn that the Call to Abram to go forth, which originally came in Ur of the Chaldees, was repeated in Haran, after his father’s death. Probably Terah delayed his son’s obedience. Let us help our children to realize God’s call, even though we be left lonely on the other side of the river.
In Heb_11:8, we realize that this Pilgrim of the Eternal stepped out on the wide expanse of the desert, only learning his course day by day; he was like a Columbus, sailing month after month through unknown seas, never knowing at what moment the dim outline of the shore might appear.
In Rom. 4. we are told that these promises were vouchsafed to him while still a Gentile. Thirty years passed before he became the founder of the Hebrew nation. The Apostle therefore argues that these promises are guaranteed to all his children, not only to those under the Law, but also to us who have his faith (Gen_12:16). Turn back, my reader, to that ancient page, and realize that it includes thee in its amplitude of blessing! Gal_3:8, Gal_3:9, Gal_3:14, assures us that all these blessings are included in the one gift of the Holy Spirit. The blessing of Abraham is for all of us who are in Christ Jesus, as we walk in the steps of this great Pilgrimage.
A vast gulf of Time lies between us and the far-away days of Abraham’s life; but recent discoveries have shown that Ur of the Chaldees enjoyed a high State of civilisation a thousand years before his exodus. His experiences and ours meet across the gulf of ages!
PRAYER
O God, may the great cloud of witnesses, who have trodden the Pilgrim Way before us, be to us an example of a godly life, so that we may run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus. AMEN.