Day 10 of 21
The Call of Abraham
God starts over with one family to bless all families
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Genesis 12:1-9 and Galatians 3:8. After eleven chapters of cosmic scope — creation, fall, flood, Babel — the narrative suddenly narrows to one man, one family, one call. "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you" (12:1).
Reflection
Genesis 12 is one of the most pivotal chapters in the Bible. Everything before it has been moving toward this moment. The problem of Genesis 1-11 is clear: humanity was made for God, but every generation has chosen rebellion. Adam sinned. Cain murdered. The world was destroyed by flood. Babel reached for heaven on its own terms. What will God do?
His answer is astonishing. He calls one man — Abram, a pagan from Ur of the Chaldeans — and makes him an extraordinary promise: "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (12:2-3).
Notice: God will make Abraham's name great (12:2). At Babel, the builders said "let us make a name for ourselves" — and failed. God gives to Abraham freely what Babel tried to seize by force. The blessing is a gift, not an achievement.
Francis Schaeffer saw the turning point: "The call of Abraham is one of the great turning points in the Bible. God does not abandon the nations after Babel — he chooses one man, one family, as the instrument through which all the nations will be blessed." God's strategy is not to bless everyone generically but to bless everyone through someone specifically. This is the principle of election — chosen not for privilege, but for mission.
Wright connects Abraham's call to the whole biblical drama: "Abraham's call is God's answer to the sin of Adam, the violence of Cain, the corruption of the flood, and the arrogance of Babel. Through this one family, God will put the whole world right." The call of Abraham is not a change of subject. It is God's answer to everything that has gone wrong.
And Abraham responds with faith. "So Abram went, as the LORD had told him" (12:4). No argument. No conditions. No business plan. He simply went. Paul would later say that this faith — believing God and acting on that belief — is the model for all who would follow (Galatians 3:8-9).
Going Deeper
The promise to Abraham includes "all the families of the earth." From the very beginning, God's plan through Israel was global. How does this challenge the idea that the Old Testament God is only concerned with one nation? How does Abraham's call anticipate the Great Commission?
Key Quotes
“The call of Abraham is one of the great turning points in the Bible. God does not abandon the nations after Babel — he chooses one man, one family, as the instrument through which all the nations will be blessed.”
“Abraham's call is God's answer to the sin of Adam, the violence of Cain, the corruption of the flood, and the arrogance of Babel. Through this one family, God will put the whole world right.”
Prayer Focus
Ask God for the faith of Abraham — the willingness to leave the familiar and follow God into the unknown. Trust that his promises are bigger than your plans.
Meditation
Abraham left everything on the basis of a promise. What has God asked you to leave behind? What promise is he asking you to trust?
Question for Discussion
God chose one pagan man from Ur to bless all nations. Why do you think God's strategy for reaching the whole world starts with choosing one person rather than broadcasting his message to everyone at once -- and what does this mean for how we think about our own role in his mission?