Running on Faith Weekday Devotions: Abram

Genesis 12:1-4: “Now the Lord said to Abram, Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.”

Yes, God later changed Abram’s name to Abraham. At 75 yrs old Abram, with his father & brothers, worshiped other gods.

Joshua 24:2-3: “Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.
‘Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.”

Yet, God chose Abram as the Patriarch of His chosen family and nation, Israel, from which the Messiah is born.

Deeply ponder: Abraham worshiped false gods until age 75. Then, God reveals His merciful choosing of him to fulfill Noah’s oath to his son Shem (Gen 9:26) probably 2,000 to 3,000+ yrs earlier.

Genesis 9:24-27: “When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. So he said, ‘Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers. He also said, Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth,
And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.’”

Hebrews 11:8-19: “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.

12 Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the sand which is by the seashore. God is faithful, trust Him! If you haven’t already done so, turn to Him.

13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called. He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

God is faithful, trust Him! If you haven’t already done so, turn to Him.