Genesis 12:1-91Now 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. 7And 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. 8And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el 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. 9And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. (Genesis 12:1‑9)
NOAH'S sons had many children, and they had many children, and at last there were a great many people in the world. Were these people good or bad? They were bad. They did one very wicked thing. They cut down trees, and made the wood into little images like dolls, then stuck them up and kneeled down and prayed to the images, and said, "These images are our gods; they made us, and they give us food to eat." These images were called idols.
Most of the people in the world worshipped idols instead of the true God. Sometimes the idols were made of wood, sometimes of stone, or silver, or gold.
How glad I am, my dear children, that your mothers did not teach you to pray to idols! When you first could speak, they told you about the true God, and taught you to pray to Him.
God looked down from heaven and saw the people worshipping idols; and God was very angry. But He did not kill them all, because Jesus had said He would die for the sins of men. Then God said, "I will choose one man and teach him to love Me, and to be My servant." Now there was a man called Abraham. His father and his friends worshipped idols. God said to Abraham, "Leave your home and your own friends, and go to a country which I will show you, and I will bless you and take care of you.”
Abraham did not know where God would tell him to go, yet Abraham went because God told him to go. Abraham was obedient.
Abraham had a wife, called Sarah, whom he loved very much. Sarah went with Abraham. Abraham took some sheep, and cows, and asses with him, and some servants, who drove them and fed them.
But where could Abraham sleep at night? There were very few houses to be seen; only fields and trees. Abraham slept in a tent. He made the tent with long sticks, and covered it over with skins of beasts. Abraham could move his tent from place to place; for he had to travel a great many miles over high hills and wide rivers. At last he came to a beautiful country, full of trees and flowers, and grass and corn. This was the place that God chose Abraham should live in. This place was called Canaan.
Abraham still lived in a tent. Sometimes he made a heap of stones, called an altar, and offered sacrifices of beasts to God. Abraham never worshipped idols; but all the people in Canaan did.
God often spoke to Abraham, and said, "I will bless you, and take care of you, and no one shall hurt you." God was pleased that Abraham had left his own home when he told him, and God called him His friend. Dear children: I hope that you will be like Abraham, and that you will mind what God says in the Bible. God has not told you to leave your home; but He has told you to be good and gentle, to speak the truth, and to love Him, and He has promised to take you to heaven. If you obey God, He will call you His friend. How pleasant to be God's friend!
Hymn 5
Blest was the choice that Abraham made,
When he the voice of God obeyed,
And left his kindred dear.
What though he knew not where he went,
And passed his days within a tent,
He knew that God was near.
And when he saw the heathen round,
Beneath each tree, upon each mound,
Before their idols bend;
Could he enough his love express,
For Him Who promised still to bless,
And chose him for His friend
The friend of God! The angels fair
No sweeter name than this could bear,
However high their state;
Yet may a creature, made of clay,
Who will the Lord's commands obey,
Obtain this honor great.