Tuesday, Feb. 19

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Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.   - Genesis 11:31

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.   - Genesis 12:1

There is a radical nature to this call;  (NIV) “Leave your country.” (KJV) “Get thee out!”
There are two Hebrew words here. Literally it translates to “Go yourself,” “Get yourself out.”  I think the old KJV actually does a better job of translating this command from God.  God is not suggesting or hinting to Abram, He is calling him in a radically personal way!

There is something very interesting in this story of the call of Abraham that many people miss.  Look at verse 31 in chapter 11. Notice the word “but.”  “But when they came to Haran, they settled there.”  Why did they stop in Haran? His family had stopped part way—didn’t want to go any further.  they were on their way to Canaan, to the promised land!  Now notice that in 12:1, the text actually says that the Lord had said to Abram, past tense, God had already called him to go to Canaan.  The book of Acts makes it even more clear that God had called Abraham before he and his family settled in Haran,
The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.  ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.  - Acts 7:2-3

Now Haran was just about half way from Ur to Canaan.  What does that tell you?  Abraham and his family were on their way, they were following God’s call, they were making some progress, but then they stopped and they settled.  They did not come all of the way.  

Can you imagine Abraham saying to God, “Well, I’ve come 1⁄2 way God, but I just can’t get Terah and Nahor and the rest of them to go any further. They are very stubborn. You know how dad can be. And God says, “Then come yourself.”

This is why God says to Abraham, “Get thee out!”  Come all the way!  Even if everyone around you refuses, if they all think you’re crazy for following me, you come yourself!

You see, the call is personally radical. You can’t come in on anyone else’s coattails. Abraham must go on even if all those around him do not. It is not enough just to come to church.  It is not enough just to be around the Christian environment. You must meet God yourself! You must respond to His call yourself.

Here is the really difficult part. The call does not permit us to hedge our bets because we do not know where it will take us. Notice that God is not explicit/clear about exactly where Abraham is going “to the land I will show you.” You cannot answer the call of God and still try to control your life.

Abraham was not given such answers, and neither are we. 
God says to Abraham:
“Get out.” – Where? – “I’ll show you later.”
I’ll give you a son.” – How? – “I’ll show you later.”
“Sacrifice your son.” – Why? – “I’ll show you later.”

At its core, the call of God is a surrender of the will. You cannot say: “If I know where it will take me.” “If it makes sense to me.” “If I can still maintain the kind of life I am used to.” 

Just go...just trust...just follow.

Jeff Frazier