March 23, 2017
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Genesis? Here’s today’s reading:
Genesis 12 (ESV)
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him… Continue Reading
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From Christianity.com commentary…
“We often perplex ourselves with fears which are altogether groundless. Many a time we fear where no fear is. ”
Abram willingly exposed Egypt to sin, and basically gave his wife away to the Pharoah because he feared death, despite how God had shown Himself so faithful to Abram. It was a moment of weakness with severe consequences.
Lord, help me to trust you more, to turn to prayer when I am afraid and anxious, rather than continue in my pursuit to alleviate fears on my own.
At the start of Genesis 12, there are many “I will” promises from God to Abram:
“I will” – show you (the land where you are to go): Genesis 12:1
“I will” – make of you a great nation: Genesis 12:2
“I will” – bless you and make your name great: Genesis 12:2
Why? “so that you will be a blessing”: Genesis 12:2
“I will” – bless those who bless you: Genesis 12:3
“I will” – curse him who dishonor you: Genesis 12:3
The result? “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” Genesis 12:3
When God says, “I will”, that’s a promise you can count on. When God blesses you, you’re blessed. But when God curses you . . .
What is Abram’s response? “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him” (Genesis 12:4). He obeyed. He listened. He followed God and did what God told him.
Then in Genesis 12:7, we have another “I will” promise:
“I will” – give your offspring this land (the land of Canaan).
Abram built an altar to the Lord where God appeared to him (Genesis 12:7). As he continued to Bethel, he built another altar to the Lord and called upon His name (Genesis 12:8).
There was a severe famine and when Abram was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels (Genesis 12:11-16)
WHAT? WHAAAT?
How gross is this? “Say you are my sister that it may go well with me because of you? That my life may be spared for your sake?”
Abram’s twisted plan and deception revolved around himself. Pharaoh dealt well with Abram as he takes his wife “sister” into his house (Genesis 12:16).
But then God steps in and afflicts Pharaoh and his house with a great plague and sends Abram away with his wife and all the he had (including what Pharaoh gave him). Talk about putting yourself in the crosshairs after you give someone a gun.
I’m glad Genesis 12 is over. I’m going to go kiss my beautiful wife on the forehead while she sleeps and pray that God stops any twisted plans that might seem like a good idea to me in the moment. I can assure you, this won’t be one of them!
Fear God, not man. Abram lost that perspective for this moment in time, and put Sarai in a terrible spot. Thankful for God’s intervention.
Reading in Galatians 5 this morning.
I read John 9 today and shared over there. I can so relate to the fear of the blind man’s parents! My journey of faith in Christ has been one challenge after another to face those fears in pursuit of God.
Abram did something weird. I do weird things too
lol Jim, don’t we all!
I have been keeping up with the readings in Genesis, but haven’t been able to post. So just some reflections on Genesis 7-12, I wonder what it was like on both sides of the door to the ark. I imagine when it first started raining, people thought, “Oh we can handle this. we’ll just move to higher ground”. Think of the desperation that came as the flood waters rose and then there was no escape. It’s just a reminder that when God’s judgement comes, it is only His means of salvation that is adequate…thank you God for the cross!.. Also imagine what it was like to be inside the ark. Grateful for your salvation but hopefully saddened by those suffering judgement. How passionate am I to point people to Jesus and share the good news? I also wonder the significance of God closing the door. Would there be a temptation to open it back up.
And I just love Genesis 8:1….’nough said!
Chapter 9 is the biggest restart/re-branding ever! We use those terms in business, yes? Look at what God does here. new covenant and a new group of people for God to work with and through. But look, flesh is still waiting at the door seeking to destroy. Noah’s drunkenness and Ham’s reaction to his father’s nakedness are both reflections of sins of the flesh and human thinking. I wonder what God was thinking in heaven..won’t these humans ever get it right? But still He perseveres with us.
And this same flesh flows through chapter 10 into chapter 11 where an even more obvious expression of it and the pride that goes with it is found. What kind of structures and activities am I participating in that are more about my glory than God’s?
And I don’t really have anything to add to the great comments already made on chapter 12. Clearly Abram is thinking of himself more than God and Sarai. We can understand how fear would encourage his actions and the standards of Abram’s day wouldn’t hold anything against him for treating his wife this way. But God calls us to trust Him in the face of fear and be willing to live by a standard that comes from Him and not the world. Which sometimes makes us look weird, but for a good reason! 🙂