The Call of Abraham -- 2/8/09

Sunday, February 8, 2009

THE CALL OF ABRAM
Gen. 12; Heb. 11:8

We are in the book of Genesis, looking at chapter 12 and the chapters which follow. The primary character in this section of Genesis is Abraham. I believe it is safe to say that Abraham is the key human figure of Genesis. Last week we looked specifically at God’s choice of Abram. We won’t go back over that ground in detail, but if you weren’t here, I would encourage you to get the tape or read the notes on line. To put it in a nutshell, God chose Abram while he was an idolater. God’s choice was not due to anything at all in Abram. Abram was no different than anyone else when God chose him. And as God chose Abram, every true child of God was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. You didn’t choose Him; He chose you. And why is it so? In order that no human being would ever have cause to boast. If anyone boasts, let him boast in the Lord.

Lord willing, these next three Sundays we will be looking at three very important events in the life of Abraham. In those messages, we will refer to various experiences of Abram. You will find those experiences in Gen. 12-24. I encourage you to read those chapters this week. We will not be going through all these chapters verse by verse. I will expect you to do that on your own. It isn’t a chore, as these chapters make fascinating reading.

The three events to which I refer are these…
… The call of Abraham
… The justification of Abraham
… The vindication of Abraham

The relation of these three events will become clearer as we progress in this study. This morning we are going to look specifically at the call of Abraham. As we do, we will also look at how Jesus calls people to Himself.

I. The Call to Abraham Was Clear (Gen. 12:1-3)

Let’s go back and read again Gen. 12:1-3…
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

We might question the clarity of that call. Note that the Lord made some great promises to Abram at this point...
… I will make out of you a great nation
… I will bless you
… I will make your name great
… You will be a blessing
… I will bless them that bless you
… I will curse them that curse you
… In you all the families (peoples) of the earth will be blessed

If you break them down in that much detail, there are seven promises. In verse 1, there is also the reference to “a land that I will show you.” Later on, the Lord will speak more directly about giving Abram’s descendants the land of promise. Did Abram understand all those promises? I don’t think so. No doubt, he took comfort in the announcement that God would bless him, but how would God bless him? He said He would make a great nation out of him and make his name great, but how would God do that? As we will see, that seemed to be a problem in light of the fact that he had no children at the time and didn’t seem to have any hope of children. I doubt he had any clue about how all the families of the earth would be blessed in him. So God gave Abram great promises, but they were difficult for him to understand at this time.

Nevertheless, God’s call to Abram was clear. God told Abram exactly what He wanted him to do. “Get out of your country and away from your kin folks and your father’s house, and go into a land that I will show you.” Again, the last part is a promise, rather than a command. The promise is both clear and unclear. It is clear in that the Lord says, “I will show you a land.” He didn’t say, “I’ll try to direct you to a certain land,” but “I will show you a land.” It is unclear in that the land is not identified. Abram had no GPS, and it wouldn’t have helped if he had, because God gave him no address.

On the other hand, the command is crystal clear. Abram, leave your country. Get away from your relatives and family home. Go. Go to the land I will show you. Abram did not need a translator to understand that. You may ask, “How did God speak to him?” It doesn’t matter how God spoke to him. The only thing that matters as that God did indeed speak to Abram in such a way that the command was clear to him. If God could speak the universe into existence, surely He could speak clearly to one of the people He created. He could, and He did.

God called Abram to leave what he knew and venture into the unknown. Ur was his home. As I mentioned last week, it was no hick town. At the time Abram left (or perhaps
shortly before that time), Ur was the leading city of that part of the world. A large library was there; it was a center of learning. No matter where Abram went, it would not be as culturally uplifting as his home town of Ur. He would not find a place as comfortable as where he was living. He would be leaving all the advantages of city life, culture, and religion. For what? For something less. Though he didn’t know where he would be going, he could be sure he wouldn’t find another place like Ur.

Now let’s do what we did last week. Let’s leave Abram and move forward to our day. Is the Lord still in the business of calling people? We saw last week that God does indeed choose people who are idolaters, just as He did with Abram. And yes, He still calls people to leave and go, just as He did with Abram. Let’s refresh our memory by reading some of the clear words of Jesus…

Matt. 16:24-26… Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Luke 14:25-33… And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29. Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30. Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32. Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Matt. 10:34-39… Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Mark 10:17-25… And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

As God called Abram to leave what he had known in order to follow the way of his Creator, so Jesus calls men to follow Him. While the consequences of following Jesus may not be perfectly understandable at first, the command is clear. Leave where you are and follow me. But where will Jesus lead? We don’t know all the details. He doesn’t see fit to tell us all the details. But there can be no question about one thing – the one who follows Jesus must deny himself, take up his cross (which means death to self), and follow where he leads. No one can be a follower of Jesus, if he doesn’t love Him more than even the closest family member and more than even himself or herself. There are no exceptions.

Jesus says that a person must forsake all that he has, if he is going to follow Him. That is exactly what the Lord required of Abram. He commanded him to leave everything he had known. There was no assurance that the path would be smooth and that his future life would be comfortable. As a matter of fact, it would not be. Up to this point there is no evidence that Abram had known any real conflict, but there was plenty of conflict to come.

II. Abraham Obeyed that Call

Now comes the question: Did Abram obey God’s call to him? Yes, he certainly did. However, at this point, we need to backtrack a little bit and go back over some ground we covered last week. Where was Abram when God’s call came to him? Though the answer to that question may not be absolutely clear here in Genesis 11 and 12, it becomes clear when we look at other scripture. If we read only the Genesis account, we would have to conclude that the call came while Abram was in Haran. Let’s read it in Gen. 11:31-12:1,4...
And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee… 4. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

However, when we come to Stephen’s sermon in the seventh chapter of Acts, the Spirit of God reveals further information to us. Let’s read it again in Acts 7:2-4…
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3. And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. 4. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
Here we are clearly told that the Lord appeared to Abram while he was still in Mesopotamia (= Ur of the Chaldees) before he moved to Haran. At that time God told Abram to leave his country and get away from his kindred.

Now with that in mind, did Abram obey the Lord’s call? Someone asked me that question. Here’s the point. If his father and relatives were still with him when he went to Haran, how can it be said that Abram obeyed the Lord, who told him to leave not only his country, but also his relatives? Is it possible that he was still clinging to his father Terah until Terah died in Haran? That is one possibility. This idea is strengthened by the way Gen. 11:31 is worded, “And Terah took Abram his son…” The initiative seems to lie with Terah rather than Abram. It may be that Abram did not fully obey until his father died. On the other hand, we might understand that Abram heard the Lord and immediately readied himself to go. When his father and some of the close relatives heard and understood what was happening, they responded and wanted to go with Abram. I’m not sure we can dogmatically say which way it is, but I think it is important that I make us aware of the bigger picture.

Ultimately, it doesn’t make a great deal of difference. If Abram didn’t fully obey when he heard the call in Ur, he certainly did when he left Haran, for we read in 12:4, “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him…” At least by this time, he has obediently left everything behind and followed the directions of his Creator.

Does this mean that Abram suddenly became a perfect man? No, it certainly does not. All we have to do is read a little bit more of a chapter 12. For the sake of time, let me just refresh your memory about the story in verses 10-20. In verse 10 we are told that a famine struck the land (that is, the land of Canaan). Abram headed for Egypt because the famine was very severe. What do you think about that? Notice that there is nothing about God’s guidance here. Though we are not specifically told, I suggest that Abram is demonstrating a lack of trust in God by going to Egypt.

Later, there is another story about a famine in the land of Canaan. It is in the book of Ruth, where Elimelech left Bethel to go to Moab. There it seems clearer that the move reveals a lack of trust. The key is in the names. Elimelech, my God is king, left Bethel, the house of bread. Surely the God who is king of the universe could have fed him in the house of bread. Or call to mind the other familiar story about someone going to Egypt. It certainly isn’t always a bad idea to go to Egypt, because our Lord Jesus went to Egypt when he was very young. But why did He go to Egypt? Matt. 2:13, "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." There is no evidence that the Lord directed Abram to go to Egypt.

Someone may say, “But surely he wouldn’t go to Egypt, if the Lord didn’t direct him to do so. After all, he left his homeland to obey the Lord.” While Abram certainly had left his homeland to obey the Lord, fear still played a large part in his life. The rest of Genesis 12 reveals that death through famine was not the only fear that got the best of him. As Abram and his wife Sarai traveled to Egypt, he had lots of time to think. Sometimes that can get us in trouble. Out of fear, he says to his wife: “Sweetheart, you are beautiful, and these Egyptian men are going to notice. They are going to desire you, and where will that leave me? Surely they will kill me and take you for their own. So here is what I am asking you to do. Tell them that you are my sister. Then they will treat me well on account of you.”

Was Abram wrong to do such a thing? Did he lie? Was Sarai his sister? Later, when he used this same strategy, he defended himself by saying that she was indeed his sister, explain that she was the daughter of his father but not the daughter of his mother (Gen. 20:12). She was his half-sister. But that makes no difference. His intent was to make them think that she was not his wife, when he knew full well that she was his wife. He lied to save his own skin. He cared little for his wife, but only for himself.

So what kind of man was this Abram? Was he totally selfish? Obviously not, or he wouldn’t have left his country and family for the unknown. Furthermore, let’s go back and read Gen. 12:5-9…
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9. And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

After Abram arrived in the land of Canaan, the Lord said to him, “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Abram himself would not take possession of the land, but his descendants would do so. At that announcement, Abram built an altar unto the Lord. Later on in verse 8, we see that he again build an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. We are not given much information about this building of an altar, but it is important. Abram was aware that the Lord Himself had appeared to him, and he responded with the building of an altar.

There was a lot of conflict with Abram. On the one hand, he was responding to the Lord God. On the other hand, he was having trouble trusting the Lord, as evidenced by his fears. He wasn’t sure the Lord could provide for him in the land where he had brought him. And he surely didn’t think the Lord could preserve his life, if the Egyptians knew that Sarai was his wife. He demonstrated a measure of obedience, but he had much to learn about trusting the Lord.

III. The Call Is Still Ringing Out Today

Now let’s turn to Hebrews 11. As we look at the life of Abram, we are going to be referring to Hebrews 11. Do you remember what this chapter is about? It is the roll call of the faithful, sometimes known as “the faith chapter.” Here we find some of the great heroes of the faith, and Abraham has a prominent place among them. This morning we are going to look at Heb. 11:8, "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." We have already seen his obedience. Now we want to focus on those last words: “and he went out, not knowing where he went.”

Let me emphasize again that this was no small thing. How could a man leave everything he had known? Remember that Ur was a thriving city, a leading city of the middle East, if not the leading city. There he found all the educational and cultural advantages of his day. Best we can tell, he lived a comfortable life. How could he turn his back on that? Surely he must have been going to another place that would have similar advantages. Though maybe not quite as advanced as Ur, surely the place to which he was going must have been among the ten best cities of the area. The fact is that Abram didn’t even know where he was headed. Let those words sink in: “not knowing where he went.” All he had were the promises of God – that He would show him a land, make a great nation of him, bless him, make his name great, bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him, and bless all the families of the earth through him. Great promises, but Abram had no guarantee except the word of the Lord Himself. That was it! Before you get too hard on Abram and his failures, take time to consider the faith of Abram to turn his back on all he had known and trust God and His promises.

Now let’s move forward again. When Jesus calls a person, what does that person know? When Jesus says, “Follow me,” does the follower know where He will lead? No. Like Abram, we have many wonderful promises from the Lord. Above all else, He promises to be with us. “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be…” (Jn. 12:26). What a promise! As it was with Abram, so with us. We are promised the presence of the Lord.

Now listen to me. Just as surely as Abram left what he had known in order to seek the Lord who had called him, so it must be with us. The great temptation in our day is for a person to think he can follow Jesus and still go where he chooses and do what he wants. Let’s suppose that Dad tells his 5-year-old son, “Follow me, son. This path is kind of narrow and steep. It’s important that you stay right behind me.” The boy doesn’t know where Dad is going to lead, but he knows that it is important that he follow. Suppose Dad looks back and his son is 20 feet behind him, venturing off on a side trail. Is he following his dad? Obviously, not. If he is going to faithfully follow Dad, he will have to set aside any plan of his own. Following Dad and doing his own thing are mutually exclusive; he can’t do both.

So it is with following Jesus. No one can follow Jesus, while doing his own thing. You recall that Peter and Andrew were fishing in the Sea of Galilee. The day came when Jesus said to them, “Follow me.” Did they continue fishing? No. We read, “And they straightway (immediately) left their nets and followed him” (Matt. 4:20). If they had continued fishing on the Sea of Galilee, they wouldn’t have been following Jesus.

Because following Jesus is not a physical thing but rather a spiritual venture, people tend to lose the concept of following. Since we cannot physically follow Jesus as Peter and Andrew did, then following Jesus must be a vague thing that allows me to go where I want to go. Oh yes, I’m following Jesus, but I have the freedom to live where I want to live. Oh yes, I follow Jesus, but I choose the job I think best. No. Let’s read it again from 1 Cor 6:19-20…
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

We no longer belong to ourselves. Our Lord has purchased us with His own blood and we are His bondslaves. If we no longer belong to ourselves, then we have no right to make our own decisions. As a slave looks to his master for direction, so we must look at our Master.

“Not knowing where he went.” Isn’t that an adequate description of the true follower of Jesus. Though we know our ultimate destination, we don’t know where we are going in this world, because we don’t know where He will lead. Though we might look at this truth in a negative sense, may God open our eyes to its positive beauty. Listen to me. What freedom there is in following Jesus, even though we don’t know where we are going. Who made this world? God the Father created this world through the agency of His Son. He knows every inch of it. There is no place you can go and escape His presence. Do you see? We don’t need to know where we are going, as long as He is there. That does test us, doesn’t it? What is it you are looking for? Are you looking for your own comfort, your own ambition, your own fulfillment? Or, are you looking for the presence of Jesus?

I love Psalm 16. Let me read you the last part. Ps. 16:8-11…
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Fullness of joy is not in fulfilling our plans; it is being in His presence. Yes, this certainly speaks of heaven, but that is not where it starts. “He will show me the path of life.” There are pleasures at His right hand, as we follow Him on the path of this life. No, we don’t know where we are going, but we know that we are going with Him. Did you ever take a trip with your spouse, having no real destination? You didn’t really know where you were going to travel, but you knew you would be traveling together, and that’s all that mattered.

Conclusion

Jim Elliot didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know where the Lord would lead him. But as a young man, he set his heart to follow Jesus. His longing was to follow the direction of the Lord, no matter where He led and no matter what he was called to do. That attitude led him to South America to work with the Auca Indians. His work was brief, because those Indians killed him. You say, “See there, that kind of following Jesus is dangerous. A person has to exercise some common sense.” Why? What was dangerous about that? He got killed. So? Where do you think he went after they killed him?

Do you see? It all depends upon our perspective, upon what we really desire. Jim Elliot desired the presence of the Lord. So did he miss the Lord because he was killed in Ecuador? No. It was then that he entered fully into the presence of His Lord. Surely his testimony had been, “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee” (Ps. 73:24-25). It has been well said: “The safest place in all the world is the center of God’s will.” So it was for Jim Elliot. To live was Christ, and to die was gain (Phil. 1:21). May we be encouraged by that well-known quote from Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

When we think of Abram going out, not knowing where he went, may we rejoice in the Lord that we can do the same. Let’s praise God that this world is not our home, that our joy is not measured by what this world can offer. Instead, we find fullness of joy in His presence, though we know not where His presence will lead us in this world. I challenge you with that testimony from the Psalmist: “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Ps. 73:24).