The Lord Calls Abram

December 4, 2011

Background Scripture: Genesis 11:27 – 12:9
Lesson Passage: Genesis 12:1 – 9

Today’s lesson affords us the opportunity to examine some details of God’s calling of Abram. I believe that there are elements of Abram’s call that all who have been called of God to a specific ministry can identify with. However, since God has made it clear in revealing Himself to us through His word that He desires a unique personal relationship with each of us that would allow Him to express His love through us, I stop short of suggesting that we can define a pattern here of “how” God calls every person that He calls into service—as though He is limited to only one way. There are three elements of Abram’s call that I believe are noteworthy. Abram’s calling of God was vocal, explicit, and it required a response.

The bible affirms in every place where Abram’s calling is mentioned that God spoke to Abram. Abram heard the voice of God and he responded verbally to the Lord as well. The bible does not suggest that Abram felt like the Lord was trying to tell him to do something. Nor does the bible suggest that Abram did what he thought would be pleasing to the Lord. Abram responded to the voice of the Lord. Although his response was not always in complete obedience to God’s instructions, Abram’s response was directionally correct according to God’s verbal guidance.

The second element of Abram’s calling is that it was explicit. God told Abram to leave his land of birth, leave his family, and travel to a land that God would guide him to. Our background scripture shows the movement of Abram’s family away from the land of his birth (Ur of the Chaldeans) to the land of Haran. We learn that this was the result of an explicit statement from God to Abram in Acts 7 when Stephen addresses the Sanhedrin Council. Stephen said that God appeared to Abram in Ur and gave him these instructions. As we follow Abram’s life we see him moving in the direction God has prescribed but he takes along family with him through the early steps all the way to the land where God led him. Little by little God ordered the circumstances of Abram’s life to cause him to become separated from his family as prescribed.

The third element of Abram’s call was that it required a response from Abram. Again, if you follow Abram’s history, you will see that each time Abram responded in the direction of God’s instructions (although his response was not always in complete obedience) God reappeared to him and affirmed the calling. In fact, the Epistle of James states that Abram’s trust in God was demonstrated through his response to God’s directions. By responding positively to God’s instructions, Abram demonstrated that he trusted God’s guidance. Abram not only mentally agreed with God, he acted according to God’s instructions to him. The Apostle Paul said that it was Abram’s trust in God that caused God to affirm that Abram was in the right type of relationship with him spiritually. Abram demonstrated some ethical lapses along the way but it seems as though he continuously moved in the direction that God led him. The Lord called Abram and Abram accepted the calling and became the friend of God.

Robert C. Hudson
November 28, 2011