Genesis 12:1c

Genesis Study 86

LEAVE YOUR FATHER'S HOUSEHOLD

Genesis 12:1
Key verse 12:1c
"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.'"

In today's passage we want to study about God's command on Abram to leave his father's household.

When God had appeared to Abram in Ur, he commanded him to leave his country, his people and his father's household. Though it was very hard, Abram left his country and his people in obedience to God. However he could not leave his father's household. Instead he persuaded them to come along with him to the land God would show. It was not easy to convince each of them. His brother Nahor refused to close his business in Ur. All the women and servants feared to migrate to an unknown place. Moreover Abram's aged father eagerly wished to be buried with his ancestors. And he never wanted to leave his son Haran who had died before him. It took quite a long time for Abram persuade them one by one. At last they left Ur and reached Haran. They almost travelled 1000 km. Abram waited for God to show him the land to settle down. But there was no word from God. Instead what Abram heard was the serious complaint of his father's household. Without discussing with Abram they unpacked their luggage and settled there. By this time Abram also had no word to convince them. After sometime Haran became Abram's country and its people Abram's people. In spiritual point of view Abram came back to the starting point. He had to start all again. So when God commanded him again in Haran he did not say, "Leave your father's household." Instead God repeated his first command all again. I believe when God commanded him second time he must have emphasized the words "your father's household". Unless Abram left his father's household wherever he went he would remain as a same person in Ur. It was a very crucial moment in Abram's life of faith.
When Abram told his father about God's command, Terah cried and rebuked him, "I sacrificed my whole life to bring you up. But now do you want to desert me because I am old? If you don't care for your aged father, how can you possibly be a blessing for others? First be a blessing to me." Terah wanted Abram to remain as a good son to him only. But when God commanded Abram to leave his father's household, it did not mean God wanted Abram to desert them forever. God's plan was first to separate Abram from the household that was influenced by the world and second to grow Abram as a source of blessing for the world and his father's household as well. But as long as he stayed with his father's household, he would remain as a worldly man and die in his sin. Then his whole family would also die in sin along with Abram. This is tragedy. God loved not only Abram but also his father's household. So he commanded Abram to leave them and be a blessing for them.
Do we understand Abram's situation? I believe we do. Our parents never want us to leave them. They always want us to be near to them. In fact we also miss their love and the food our mothers prepare for us. Maybe that is why some of us keep on visiting their parents whenever they get holidays. When we go back to our parents' place we feel most comfortable. And as our parents grow older we feel a sense of obligation to support them in their old age. Among all gatherings first priority goes to our family gatherings such as marriage ceremony, naming ceremony, funeral ceremony, family tour and birthday party etc. Among all the wishes the best wish is for family's health and wealth. We believe our lives are given by our parents. If our parents are roots we are their branches. How can a branch survive without its root? So everyone finds it impossible to leave his or her father's household. This was the reason why Abram could not leave his father's household even though he left his country and his people in Ur. But in today's passage God commands us to leave our fathers' households. How can we obey this command? How could Abram obey it?
Although Abram was born of his mother and brought up by his father, it was God who granted him the parents. In other words it was God who gave him life through his parents. God used his parents to bring him up. If Terah was Abram's earthly father God is his Everlasting Father. God knew Abram before he was formed in his mother's womb. God would take care of Abram all the days of his life. After his death God would take him to his everlasting kingdom to be with him forever. God commanded Abram to leave his earthly father so that he might have personal relationship with his Everlasting Father. God knew what was best for Abram much better than Terah. God would grow Abram not mealy as a good son of an old man but as a source of blessing for all mankind. Terah and his household would also be blessed by Abram. I don't know how much Abram understood the meaning of God's calling. But I believe by this time he understood God's will much deeper than the first call. So he could make a decision to leave his father's household and go to the land his Heavenly Father would show him. When Abram obeyed God's command, God himself took care of Abram's father's household. Later Rebekah, a woman of faith, would grow from his brother Nahor's family to marry Abram's son Isaac. When Abram left his father's household God formed a heavenly household by adopting all believers as Abram's spiritual children.
Now God commands us, "Leave your father's household and go to the land I will show you." God knows how dear our fathers' households are to us. But he commands us to leave them and go to the land our Heavenly Father will show us. There he will grow us as his holy children. When we become God's holy children, God will again use us to bring our earthly families to him. This is the way how we can be a true blessing to our fathers' households. But if we refuse this calling not only we but also our fathers' households will perish in sin. We use different languages and have different nationalities and cultures. But we are one family in God. I eagerly pray that we may obey God as our Everlasting Father and love each other as true brothers and sisters in him.

Genesis 12:1b

Genesis Study 85

LEAVE YOUR PEOPLE

Genesis 12:1
Key verse 12:1b
"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.'"

Today we want to study about God's command for Abram to leave his people. Look at verse 1. "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.'" God did not say to Abram, "Leave people". Instead he said, "Leave YOUR people". Let us think about two things: Who were Abram's people? And why did God command him to leave them?
First who were Abram's people? They were the people of Ur and Haran. Let us first think about the people of Ur. They were the people of Abram's mother land. The language they used was Abram's mother tongue. The moon god they worshipped was Abram's god. From childhood people in India burn crackers in Diwali and spray colours in Holi. In the same way Abram must have enjoyed all the festivals of Ur together with his relatives and friends. Whenever there was an international cricket match between Ur and Egypt, he shouted for the victory of his nation. When Ur became the World Cup Cricket champion, he hugged his friends and danced whole night. During his college life, watching movies, internet chatting and computer games were a part of his life. Sometimes he miserably failed in his exam after wasting so much time with his girl friend. Before graduation he formed a study group to join a good company with handsome salary. When he joined a good company he used to go for a wine party with his office colleagues. After his retirement he joined a club of the aged and wealthy people in Ur. The members had gatherings everyday in famous restaurants. They also contributed some leftover money as donations for the needy. Along with the club members Abram prayed to the moon god for the peace and welfare of his people in Ur. He believed this was the best life he could live.
But one day he received a divine call from the Lord who is the only true God: "Leave…your people…and go to the land I will show you." Recently one of our brothers felt it so hard to leave his chatting girl friend though he never saw her face to face. But here God commanded Abram to leave his people—all his relatives, all his friends, all his business partners and all his club members. After that Abram should to go the land God would show him. In that land people would use strange language, eat strange food and enjoy strange festivals. As for Abram his people in Ur meant everything. He learnt everything from them. He shared everything with them. Without them his life would mean nothing. How then could he leave them? God commanded him to leave his people not for few months but for the rest of his life. This must be harder to obey than to leave his country. Security and prosperity can be sought in other countries. But where would Abram meet the same people he had known from his childhood? His permanent departure would make many people feel so sorry. His uncles, aunties, college mates, chatting friends, club members and the needy who used to get his donations would all cry.
God knew very well what it would mean for Abram to leave his people. Even then he commanded him to leave them. Why? Abram's relationship with his people would give them small comfort but nothing more. One day Abram would die as an idol worshipper and perish forever. All his people would follow the same fate. But God had a great plan both for Abram and his people. In fact God had a great plan for all mankind. He wanted to save Abram from the ungodly life and grow him as a man of truth. Then Abram would be a source of blessing not only for his people but also for the people of the world generation to generation. Of course there will be temporary pain and sorrow. But when Abram grew as a source of blessing the pain and sorrow would turn into true joy and eternal life for everyone. Even though Abram could not see the whole picture of God's plan, at least he could catch a glimpse of it. Then he made a decision to leave his people. On the departing day the Ur International Airport became the sea of tears. Many of his people pleaded with him to come back as early as possible. Some of his friends gave him a small box filled with the soil of Ur so that he might never forget the land and the people. Abram's heart was broken. But he left his people to go the land God would show him. Instead of remaining as a small comfort to his people he wanted to be a source of blessing for all mankind.
But when he reached Haran he could not go further. He unpacked his luggage and settled there. Even though the language of Haran was strange he could still understand it. Moreover there was a small Ur community in Haran. There in the community everyone used the language of Ur and shared the latest news of their homeland. Whenever some of them visited Ur they brought their country food and shared among themselves. Through them Abram also could get massala, haldi power, channa dhal, angari, kochujang and ganjang etc. Abram came to love the Ur community more than God. Even though his body left Ur, his heart still missed his people, their culture, their food and their language. Sometimes he missed worship service to attend his people's birthday party. While living in Haran, he also developed his human relationship with the people around him. Now they called Abram their people and Abram called them his people.
God's plan was to form a new people through Abram—the people belonging to God. But Abram mixed himself with the people of this world. It made him feel comfortable. But in God's point of view it was the most risky moment. So God again called him in Haran, "Leave…your people…and go to the land I will show you." As long as Abram identified himself with the worldly people around him, he would never be God's people. He must separate himself from them and belong to God. Instead of enjoying human fellowship with his people, he must have spiritual fellowship with God. Before serving the poor and needy, he must see his own poor soul and come to God in repentance. Then God would change him into a man of truth and form a holy people through him. The people that come from Abram would be a source of blessing for all nations.
Now God gives us the same command: "Leave…your people…and go to the land I will show you." We all are from different parts of the world. We are different people. So it is easy for us to feel not so comfortable here and go back to our old friends again. But God commands us to leave them and go to the land he will show us. In other words God commands us to leave our worldly people and go to the people who live before God. When each of us obeys this command, we are one people in God.

India UBF Autumn Bible Conference 2005 (Photo-3)

India UBF Autumn Bible Conference 2005 (Photo-2)

India UBF Autumn Bible Conference 2005 (Photo-1)

Genesis 12:1a

Genesis Study 84

LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY

Genesis 12:1
Key verse 12:1a
"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.'"

Last week we studied that God had called Abram to leave Ur and go to the land he would show him. In obedience to God's calling Abram left Ur and did not go to the land God would show him. Instead when his family reached Haran they settled there. It was such a great honour and privilege to be called by God the Creator to be a source of blessing for all mankind. And such calling came to the most hopeless person like Abram. But he did not take it as seriously as the one who called him. God was so mindful of his calling on Abram. He wanted to change Abram and through him the history of all mankind. He wanted to turn the history of curse into the history of blessing through one man Abram. But Abram viewed God's calling simply as personal blessing. And when he saw a land more suitable than Ur he forgot God's calling and settled in the land.
The same thing can happen to us. When we see little better job or study opportunity, we tend to forget God's calling and try to settle there. But when God called us to this Bible house and to this Book of God, he had great hope to raise us as a source of blessing for this generation.
Now what did God do to Abram who exchanged God's calling for an easygoing life in Haran? Did God give him up and search for someone else?
Look at verse 1. "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.'" God did not give up Abram. Instead he called him again. He repeated his first calling. In fact he would repeat it until Abram reached the land he would show. God is the God of patience and mercy. He is the hope of the sinners like us who easily compromise and settle anywhere we like. In the office I saw one of my colleagues doing 99 things with excellence. But recently he made one fatal mistake. Now the management is thinking of firing him out. This is business mind. But God does not work with business mind. He understands how weak and short-sighted we are. He calls us again and again until we reach the Bible land. When our minds settle in Haran it is not easy to come for worship service even if we are very near to this Bible house. But when God's calling renews our hearts we can attend worship service no matter what happens. I humbly and earnestly pray God may renew his calling in our hearts today.
Now what did God say to renew his calling in Abram's heart? He said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." God's calling consists of two commands: Leave and Go. What must Abram leave? God said, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household." Here we see one word repeated three times that is "your". As for Abram it means, "My country, my people and my father's household." These were everything Abram had. He could never imagine his life without his country, his people and his father's household. When he left Ur and came to Haran, he again made the place his country and the people his people. And he had always been with his father's household. When God says to us, "I will make you a source of blessing" it is easy to say, "Amen". But when he commands us, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household" it is difficult to say, "Amen." But obedience to God's command should come first. God blesses only those who obey his commands.
Why then should Abram leave his country, his people and his father's household to receive God's blessing?
Today we want to think about God's command: "Leaven your country". Originally Abram's country was Ur. The country was highly developed like New York in our time. Face to face could people see world famous celebrities—musicians, artists, engineers, scholars, sportsman, actors and actresses. World top class institutes, shopping malls, sports complex and museums were available. In fact the country promised Abram the best security and prosperity. But Abram left the country in obedience to God's calling. It was a great sacrifice. When Abram moved to Haran it was difficult to adjust. But somehow he adjusted himself there. He thought he sacrificed enough to obey God's command. He then tried to secure his life in Haran. He began to build up his own world in the land. Soon he identified Haran as his country. He wanted to be prosperous there.
When we seek prosperity and security in anything it becomes "my country". People move from one company to another seeking little more salary that will secure their future. If they can get little better job opportunity they don't mind to miss Bible study and worship service. As for them their companies are their country. Students do not mind to ignore Bible study and worship service if they can study and get better marks. As for them their course studies are their country. But God commands us to leave that country and go to the land he will show us. It does not mean we must give up our study and job. It means God wants us to seek prosperity and security only in him. God himself wants to be our country. When I studied only by faith in God I could complete my Ph.D course in J.N.U the most prestigious university of India. When I worked only by faith in God, I could be rewarded three times as the best employee in my company. But my greatest gain is the eternal life and the kingdom of God. Someday all prosperity and security of this world will end. In fact they are sure to end at the time of our death. But whoever takes God as his own country will share eternal glory in his everlasting kingdom. How foolish it is to exchange gold for a candy! In the same way how foolish it is to exchange eternal glory in God's kingdom for a small job or study opportunity! God commands us to leave our country and go to his country so that we may be truly blessed and share his glory forever.
When 30% of my salary was taken as tax, I thought of saving it. I was advised to take life insurance and house loan to save tax. When I also saw my eleven years old scooter which sounds like a tank while driving, I thought of buying a small family car. Then God helped me realize that I was building my own country in Bangalore. I repented of my worldly dream and decided to use all my earnings for the expansion of the kingdom of God in South India. Then God granted me heavenly joy and peace. Now there is no balance in my saving account. But I am confident that God will take care of my house church to the end. When I gave up building my own country in this world and God himself became my own country. God's kingdom is in my heart. May God help us to leave our country! May God himself be our country forever!

Genesis 11:27-32

Genesis Study 83

UR, HARAN AND CANAAN

Genesis 11:27-32
Key verse 11:31
"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."

Last week we studied how God continued his salvation history from Shem to Abram. Today we want to study about Abram. Abram was his natural name and it means "a noble father". At the age of 99, God changed his name into Abraham which means "a father of many nations". The Bible records Abram's life from Genesis chapter 11 to chapter 25. It allowed 4 chapters for Noah but for Abram 14 chapters. Name "Noah" appears 54 times throughout the Bible but the name "Abram" or "Abraham" appears 290 times. Among the 66 books of the Bible 27 books talk about Abram that is Abraham. After Adam and Eve had committed sin, all mankind was under the curse of God. But God wanted to save them and bless them. So he called one man Abram and said to him, "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Ge 12:3b) The history of curse was turned into the history of blessing through Abram. He believed that God would grant him a son even at the age of hundred. He also believed that God would raise the dead. So he did not spare even his one and only son Isaac from God. Thus he was known as God's friend (James 2:23) and the man of faith (Galatians 3:9). The Bible reckons all believers as Abraham's children. (Romans 4:16) The New Testament begins as follows: "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham". (Matthew 1:1) Jesus, the Saviour of the world, came through the line of Abraham. Now we are going to study such a great man of God.

Look at verses 27 to 29. Abram's father was Terah. Terah had three sons: Abram, Nahor and Haran. Abram was not the eldest son. Terah had his first son at the age of 70. But Abram was born when Terah was 130 years old. (Genesis 11:32; 12:4; Acts 7:4) However he was mentioned first because he would take the leading role in God's salvation history. It seems Haran was the first son of Terah. He was born and brought up in Ur of the Chaldeans. The city was like New York in our time. It was highly developed and jammed with people from all parts of the world. There Haran got a son and named him Lot. He also had two daughters: Milcah and Iscah. But he died while his father Terah was still alive. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran. All of them were worshipping idols in Ur. (Joshua 24:2) The city was famous for the moon-god Sin worship. Every brick of the Sin temple in Ur bears this inscription: "Ur-Ba'u, king of Ur, who built the temple of the moon-god." When Abram was born his parents gave special offerings to idols. When he joined a school he worshipped the god of wisdom. When he opened his shop, he worshipped the god of wealth. When he married, he worshipped the god of love. Idol worship itself was his life. In spiritual point of view he was the most hopeless person. He was the object of God's terrible wrath.
Look at verse 30. "Now Sarai was barren; she had no children." His brother Haran had one son and two daughters. And according to Genesis 22:20-22, Nahor had eight sons. But Abram had no children because his wife was barren. The high technology and many gods of Ur were of no use. In human point of view also, Abram was a hopeless person.
But God called the most hopeless person like Abram to be a source of blessing for all mankind. While he was in Ur he received God's calling: "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go 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, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Abram accepted the one who called him as the only true God and decided to obey him. He told his father Terah about his decision of faith. Abram's faith moved Terah's heart. So he decided to move out from the idolatrous country.
Look at verse 31. "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." Haran was located about 1000 km northwest from Ur. It was a hub city between Ur and Canaan. The city was also famous for moon-god worship. Since one of the three sons of Terah was named after the city, it must have been well known to them. When they came to Haran, God did not say to Abram, "This is the land I am going to give you and your descendants." God was silent. But they unpacked their luggage there not to stay for few days but to settle down.
Here we see three settling places of Abram: Ur, Haran and Canaan.
Abram in Ur was an idol worshipper and childless father. Both spiritually and humanly he was the most hopeless person. He might have enjoyed advanced cultures of the city and had good time with his relatives and friends. But in Ur he was nothing but the object of God's wrath.
Abram in Haran seemed to be far better than Abram in Ur. In obedience to God's calling he left idol worshipping life. With new hope and vision he took such a long journey from Ur to Haran. Whenever he compared himself with his old friends, he felt so proud to know the only true God. But he was not comfortable because Haran was not the place where God wanted him to be. Abram must have done many things in Haran before God and before men. But the Bible does not record anything about those activities. It tells only one thing: "But when they came to Haran, they settled there." Abram neither went back to Ur nor proceeded to the place God would show. He just lingered on Haran. So God had to call him out from the city too. God guided him until he reached the land God would show that was Canaan.
Abram in Canaan was not a perfect person. However God could begin his holy training upon Abram until he became a source of blessing. Language, food, culture and people were all strange to him in Canaan. Life was so insecure there. So instead of having human fellowship with idol worshippers, Abram had deep fellowship with God. Time to time his faith was shaken. But God took hold of him and grew him to be a man of absolute faith and obedience.
At the beginning Abraham's faith was not great enough even to reach Canaan. But when God grew him, Abraham's faith became great enough to have a son at the age of hundred and did not spare his one and only son from God. The Bible recoded Abram's life not to appreciate his extraordinary life but to praise God who picked up the most hopeless man and changed him into a source of blessing for all mankind.
Where are we now? Some of us are still in Ur of the Chaldeans worshipping idols of this world. Some of us left many idols and reached Haran. We may think, "This much is enough. I am better than my old friends who are still in Ur." But Haran is not our destiny. God wants us to go to Canaan where he will train us to be the men and women of faith. Life in Canaan must be much less comfortable than Ur and Haran. But there is great hope to grow as a source of blessing for this generation. In Ur we actively worship idols. In Haran we compromise. But in Canaan we hold on to God's truth and receive his holy training. In spiritual point of view the Bible is our Canaan. God gives us his truth through the Bible and trains us based on the truth in the Bible. Everything in the Bible seems to be quite strange to us—the names, the culture, the stories and the teachings. But this is the land God wants us to be. Whoever lives in the Bible land will grow as a source of blessing. This morning God calls each of us not to settle in Ur or Haran but to go to Canaan, the Bible land. We are as hopeless as Abram, a man of idol worship and compromise. But God will make us as great as Abraham, a source of blessing for all mankind.