12:1
We now come to the life of Abraham, who was introduced in the previous chapter, though called Abram at that stage. He is a pivotal figure and is the father of the nation. Interestingly, it is not till the New Testament, that he receives full recognition. The Jews considered him important, but Moses and the Law were given pride of place. Abraham is a mixture of faith and doubt, and this mixture makes him one of my favourite characters and one with whom we can easily identify. Isaiah 51 urges us to look to Abraham and Sarah as examples. In verse 1 God gives a command to Abraham to leave his country, and his father’s household, and to “go to a land that I will show you”. Some people chastise Abraham for not leaving Lot behind, but we should note that the Bible does not criticise him for this. Indeed, 2 Pet 2:7 calls Lot a righteous man! Whether or not he should have taken Lot, Abraham made a number of other mistakes, and quite serious ones, yet God’s plans were fulfilled. We will make mistakes, we will sin. Our sins and mistakes matter, they have consequences, but if we walk by faith they will not stop God’s plans being fulfilled. As Heb 11:8 tells us, when Abraham left he did not know where he was going. It is more a matter of who we are following, than where we are going. Jesus said to the disciples, “follow me and I will make you ...”
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