Topical Bible: God: The Call of Abraham

◄ God: The Call of Abraham ►

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The call of Abraham marks a pivotal moment in biblical history, signifying the beginning of God's covenant relationship with a chosen people. This event is primarily recorded in Genesis 12:1-9, where God calls Abram (later named Abraham) to leave his homeland and journey to a land that God would show him. This call is foundational to understanding the unfolding narrative of God's redemptive plan through the nation of Israel and ultimately through Jesus Christ.

Divine Initiative and Promise

The call of Abraham is initiated by God, underscoring the divine sovereignty and grace in choosing Abram. Genesis 12:1-3 records God's command and promise: "Then the LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your kindred, and your father's house to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.'"

This passage highlights several key elements of God's promise to Abram:

1. Land: God promises to show Abram a new land, which is later identified as Canaan. This land becomes central to the identity and history of the Israelite people.

2. Nationhood: Despite Abram and his wife Sarai's advanced age and childlessness, God promises to make Abram into a "great nation." This promise is fulfilled through the birth of Isaac and the subsequent growth of the Israelite nation.

3. Blessing: God promises to bless Abram personally, making his name great. This blessing extends beyond Abram to all who align themselves with him, while those who oppose him will be cursed.

4. Universal Blessing: The promise that "all the families of the earth will be blessed through you" foreshadows the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, through whom salvation is offered to all nations.

Abram's Response

Abram's response to God's call is one of faith and obedience. Genesis 12:4 states, "So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran." Abram's willingness to leave his familiar surroundings and venture into the unknown demonstrates his trust in God's promises.

Abram's journey is marked by acts of worship and devotion. Upon arriving in Canaan, he builds altars to the LORD at Shechem and Bethel, as recorded in Genesis 12:7-8 : "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'I will give this land to your offspring.' So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD."

Significance in Salvation History

The call of Abraham is a foundational event in the biblical narrative, setting the stage for the development of the covenantal relationship between God and Israel. It underscores the themes of faith, obedience, and divine promise that recur throughout Scripture. Abraham's call and subsequent journey serve as a model of faith for believers, as highlighted in the New Testament. Hebrews 11:8 commends Abraham's faith: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going."

The call of Abraham also establishes the framework for understanding God's plan of redemption, which culminates in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through Abraham's lineage, the promise of blessing to all nations is fulfilled, affirming God's faithfulness to His covenant promises.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 12:1
Now the LORD had said to Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you:
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Abraham and Isaac. Genesis xxii.
... begin at once upon the duties which call for instant ... We do not read that Abraham
asked Sarah's advice, the ... Never ask advice from those whom God does not trust. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/champness/broken bread/xxv abraham and isaac genesis.htm

Jesus is God Wooing Man.
... it a queer thing, a wild goose chase, this going off to a strange land in response
to a call of God ... He would see God. ... "Jehovah appeared unto Abraham," and tied ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks about jesus/jesus is god wooing man.htm

A Loving Call to Reunion
... THE SECOND BOOK OF CHRONICLES A LOVING CALL TO REUNION. ... of the king, saying, Ye children
of Israel, turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/a loving call to reunion.htm

Abraham, the Man of Prayer
... required in the simplest as well as in the most complex dispensations of God's grace.
When we study Abraham's character, we find that after his call to go out ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bounds/prayer and praying men/iii abraham the man of.htm

Letter xxii. --Fidelity to the Call of God.
... for you to be faithful to the call of God ... both exterior and interior, this attraction
towards God with the ... duty is to hope against hope as Abraham did; that is ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/letter xxii fidelity to the call.htm

The Call of Moses
... THE BOOK OF EXODUS THE CALL OF MOSES. ... unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children
of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the call of moses.htm

Recapitulation of the Foregoing Argument, Showing that Abraham ...
... of that God who spake in human shape to Abraham, [3877] and ... the Son, who is the Word
of God, arranged these ... of angels, in order that He might call the creation ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter vii recapitulation of the foregoing.htm

The Chosen People
... They were to reveal God to men. In the call of Abraham the Lord had said,
"I will bless thee; . . . and thou shalt be a blessing: . . . ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 2 the chosen people.htm

The Intercourse of God and his Friend
... Abraham's remonstrance, if we may call it so, embodies some thoughts about
the government of God in the world which should be pondered. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the intercourse of god and.htm

The Christian's Book
... We have only to look at the record to see how the initiative is declared to have
been taken by God. Here is the roll call, Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), Moses ...
/.../sell/studies in the life of the christian/study vi the christians book.htm