Daily Scripture: Genesis 11:27 – 12:8
27 This is the account of Terah’s family line.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. 30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.
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 Harran, they settled there.
32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
Genesis 12
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “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.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
Read additional translations at Biblegateway.com or youversion.com
Reflection Questions:
Abram’s (God changed his name to “Abraham” in Gen. 17:5) midlife crisis came in two parts. He and his father set out for Canaan (11:31). Genesis doesn’t say why they only went part way, to Haran. Still, Abraham kept his inner “ear” tuned to God’s voice. He left Haran – his country, his people and his father’s family – to follow God’s compelling call.
- In Genesis 12:5, we see that Abraham was well-to-do before he set out across modern Iraq and Syria toward Canaan. But God did not want him to hoard his blessings, material or spiritual, for just himself and his family (12:3). How are you using your blessings to bless others? How might you do that more?
- God’s promises (12:2, 7) sounded great! Just one little problem: Abraham didn’t have any offspring (11:30). How would you respond to a calling that seemed absurd, that presumed facts you can’t see? What does it tell you about Abraham’s walk with God that he took the promise, and the call, seriously?
Read Pastor Andrew Conard’s insights on today’s scripture at gpsinsights.wordpress.com
Weekly Prayer:
Dear God, many times I wish you would just write out in the clouds what you want me to do. Wouldn’t that be easier? Then I realize that you don’t want me to be a passive robot, spinelessly following orders, but a fully alive human being choosing to walk with you each day. Thank you for that freedom. Guide me in that awesome responsibility. Amen.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.
