Genesis 12:1-61Now 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: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4So 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. 5And 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. 6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. (Genesis 12:1‑6)
This man, Abram, lived in the land of Canaan many, many years with no house or land of his own, be, his family and servants dwelt in tents. He had many sheep, cattle, camels, and asses which fed on the grass of the plains and hills, far from any people. The tents were often moved to a different part so the herds could have fresh grass and water.
Before this, Abram lived in Syria. There his father and others bowed down to idols, instead of to the true God, Who told Abram to leave all and to go to the new land, and Abram obeyed. The Lord often spoke to Abram, and told him to “Fear not’’, although in a strange land. He gave him a new name, Abraham, which means, “father of many”. God said his children should become a great nation, more than could be counted, and own all the land he could see about him.
But at that time Abram and his wife, Sarah, had no child. It was not till they were old that a son, Isaac, was born and made them very happy. Abraham lived to be one hundred seventy-five years old. The Bible speaks of him many times. All that God told him came true, as God’s words always do. He was the first of the Hebrew nation, who later owned all that land, and at one time ruled over all the other nations.
“The God of glory appeared unto.... Abraham, and said unto him, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I will show thee.” Acts 7:2,32And 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, 3And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. (Acts 7:2‑3).
ML 07/12/1936