It’s hard to overestimate the importance of Abraham. Three major world religions—Christianity, Judaism and Islam—all trace their roots back to him. And for good reason: Abraham was larger than life, the sort of man who didn’t just “go with the flow.” He stood against the flow, defying family and society. And in the process, he redefined the future.
Abraham was a man who multiplied his life, and he gives us a picture of how God wants to use each of us in the world. You see, to cut to the punch-line, one of Abraham’s descendants was Jesus Christ. The promises that God made to Abraham are ultimately fulfilled in Christ, and we who are in Christ are now commissioned to multiply the blessing of God in the lives of others. The Great Commission of Matthew 28 is actually just the New Testament extension of a promise God made to Abraham back in Genesis 12: “I will bless you so that you will be a blessing to all the families of the earth.”
God’s promise to Abraham makes us ask three important questions:
1. Am I really following God?
God’s command to Abraham (it’s technically still just “Abram” at this point) is intentionally open-ended. “Go to the land that I will show you,” implies that Abraham is supposed to set off without even knowing where he’s headed. Throughout his life, Abraham will ask God repeatedly for more details about his plan. And the response is always the same: “I will show you. For now, just follow.”
We want to know the “what” of God’s will. But all that actually matters is the “who” doing the calling. I love how John Calvin summarized God’s call to Abraham: “Just close your eyes and take my hand.” That’s a beautiful sentiment, but one that many people aren’t willing to accept.
I talk to people all the time who get right up to the edge of making a decision for Christ, but won’t take the final step unless they have some guarantees. “Will I have to change careers?” “Do I have to break up with my boyfriend?” “Will I have to become a missionary?”
Early in my ministry, I used to try to answer questions like those. But it never worked. I’ve stopped doing that, because these questions reveal hearts that want to know exactly where God is going to take them before they’ll follow him. They want God as a consultant, to offer suggestions that they may take (or ignore) at their discretion. But God doesn’t give us suggestions for our lives. He comes for total surrender. His first word to all of us is simply, follow.
2. Where is my security?
People always start Abraham’s story in Genesis 12, but it really begins back in chapter 11. Genesis 11 shows us the story of the tower of Babel, a project that symbolized humanity’s rejection of God. It was a declaration of independence, and it led to a downward spiral away from God.
By the time Genesis 11 ends, the one family line that belongs to God—the descendants of Shem—are living in a place of idolatry, almost swallowed up by it. Take a look at Abraham’s dad. His name is “Terah,” which means “moon.” That’s a Hebrew metaphor for “the end,” and it’s a fitting one. In Ur, where Terah lived, lunar worship was king. So even in the line of Shem, idolatry seems to have won.
In the midst of this dark situation, God steps in. But God’s call to Abraham is a challenge to his most dearly held security—his family. In Abraham’s day, family connections were everything. Think of it like God asking you to leave your career and all that you own. It’s that dramatic.
