Lessons from Genesis 12-13
"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and kindred, and from thy father's house, and unto a land that I will shew thee:" Genesis 12:1
As I settled down to spend some time with the Lord, I opened up His Word in Genesis chapter 12. Not long into the verses I thought, "Here we are, Abraham's life- a man of great faith." I immediately had a mini idea of what my Bible reading could potentially teach me and boy was I wrong! The best part about reading the Bible is that it is so much alive, quick and powerful! No matter how many times you and I have read a passage, or how many teachings we've heard about that particular passage, the Lord can still teach us something new like it was never there before.
Someone once said, "The Bible is the only book whose Author is always present when one reads it."
So here are five lessons from Genesis 12-13
1. Faith is necessary for the Christian.
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6
As Christians, faith is the essential element to pleasing God, without it, it is just impossible to please Him. Is it ever a question to you why God brings trials and testings in your life? It is only when we are incapable, weakened and emptied do we realise our true dependence on God. We have to fully trust that He works in the realms of the unseen, and makes the impossible possible.
2. God will ask you to step out into the unknown by faith. It is then up to Him to sustain you through it.
In the first verse of Genesis chapter 12, God calls out Abraham to leave what is known and comfortable to him and go out to a country that is yet to be revealed along the way. The following verses show that when God commanded Abraham to act by faith, He made a promise to him. However, HOW that promise is going to be fulfilled is entirely up to God.
"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee:and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."Genesis 12:2-3
We can know what God wants us to do and we may even respond to Him in faith, but do we let Him work out the steps involved between Point A and Point B? Let us remember that God's work must be done God's way.
3. Faith is always followed by obedience.
"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out..."(Genesis 12:1)
"So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him..."(Genesis 12:4)
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed; and he went out not knowing whither he went." Hebrews 11:8
Faith that is real always results in obedience to God.
4. Not living a life by faith could lead to decisions that will negatively impact your life and the life of others in the future.
When Lot separated from Abraham in Genesis 13: 10-13, he was deceived by what he saw in front of him. The plains of Jordan, its well watered land and the beauty of its gardens made Lot choose to settle in a place without first considering if it was of the Lord. Was it because he couldn’t see where the Lord was leading Abraham? Could it be that the land that Abraham was currently in wasn’t as luscious as he imagined? Or was the Lord taking too long in fulfilling His promise to Abraham? Whatever it may be, Lot made a decision based on what he perceived to be what is best. We know later on what happened to Lot and his family in Sodom.
I have to be honest, this part of the Scripture really spoke to me today. I can only imagine that it was probably just another day for Lot. His men had somewhat of a dispute with Abraham’s men and in the heat of the moment, Lot decided to permanently go away from his family. He made a permanent choice. However, that choice was not a choice of faith because what guided Lot with his decision making was not what he didn’t see, but by what he saw.
How scary it is to think that I could make life altering decisions that will impact me and my family because I did not live by faith? A preacher once said, “Don’t sell what God wants you to have for what you want to have.” (and sometimes what we want to have is not necessarily a bad thing).
5. We may not be able to see the fulfillment of God’s promises to us.
You stepped out in faith, you may even be living by faith throughout your life, you’ve chosen to obey what God has asked you to do, but He can choose to not let you live the reality of the blessings He promised you. Really? Yes, really.
We live by faith because it pleases God and not because it will please us. We need to accept God’s timing and not ours.
As a 21st century Christian, we have the whole picture of God’s promise to Abraham and the fulfillment of that promise through His Word. However, Abraham didn’t have that advantage. He didn’t know that it would be in his 100th year that God would give Isaac. He didn’t know that he would go through 13 years of silence without hearing from the Lord. He would also leave the promised land once again. He didn’t know that God would promise Isaac to him and Sarah in chapter 17 of Genesis but it won’t be fulfilled until chapter 21. He didn't see the 12 tribes of Israel exiting Egypt by millions.
Yet, in all of these, Abraham lived each season, chapter by chapter in faith and he trusted God all the way until his death.
By faith Abraham…
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on earth.”Hebrews 11:13
It is easier said than done, but God requires faith from us and He is able to help you and I.
So step out in faith, allow God to work out the in-betweens, obey Him, be sensitive to His leading, trust His perfect timing and continue to do so until one day our faith becomes sight.
Kommentare