Genesis 12:1-3 (finally out of the begats!) blessing of Abraham

Now the LORD said to Abram,

“Go forth from your country,

And from your relatives

And from your father’s house,

To the land which I will show you;

2 And I will make you a great nation,

And I will bless you,

And make your name great;

And so you shall be a blessing;

3 And I will bless those who bless you,

And the one who curses you I will curse.

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

 

 

Ahhhhhhh, finally out of the begats for a while!  I know they are important, but it takes a bit of gumption to work through them to discern meaning!

 

I would consider this the blessing of Abraham.  But, that's probably not quite right.

 

How scary!  Hey Abram - grab your wife and your nephew, hop on a camel, and head out to worlds unknown.

 

I mean today we go with GPS, a map (if you are old enough to have ever read paper ones), an itinerary, a good chunk of change in our wallet, a credit card or two, a googled list of restaurants that are on our path as well as a list of hotels.  Not that I think Abram didn't have a plan with the supplies he had, but WOW!  Could any one of us just cut ties, pack it all up and start driving?

 

I know very few people hear God's voice as audible, but I think it might have to be that clear before I could move into obedience in that situation, and then I am not sure.  I will say this, God promised him plenty. 

 

If anyone other than God was saying, hey - if you leave all you have and follow me I'll make you famous and wealthy and elevate your friends and put down your enemies - I would run!  Because it would be surely false. 

 

But, this is not anyone, this is God.  How faithful Abram must have been to cause God to speak to him this way and promise him this much.  How blessed are we to be counted among the sons of Abraham.