The Call Of Abram In The Bible

The Call of Abram is one of the most important and significant passages in the Bible and it sets the stage for what is to come in the Old Testament and up until the New Testament where it reaches its fulfillment. Abram’s call occurs very early in Genesis and is as follows:

12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 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 shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3, NRSV)

The promise that God establishes with Abram contains four things:

1 God will make Abram a great nation

2 God will bless Abram and make his name great

3 God will bless those who bless Abram

How the Passage Relates to the Rest of Genesis Prior to Abram’s calling in Chapter 12, we learn that God has a covenant with Noah; “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen 9:1). God blesses Noah and his descendants and promises after the flood that “never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters” (Gen 9:11). Abram comes from Noah’s line as one of the descendants from Noah’s son Shem, was Terah, who was Abram’s father. After the Abram’s call, he begins his journey to the Promised Land and God promises him “to your offspring, I will give this land” (Gen 12:7). The turning point occurs in Genesis 15 when the Lord appears to Abram in a vision and He specifies his promises to Abram in the form of a Covenant. God tells Abram to “look toward heaven and count the stars” (Gen 15:5) and that would equal the number of his descendants. Then God confirms the covenant with Abram saying “To your descendants I give this land” (Gen 15:18). Abram believed in God and trusted in what God was telling him. He showed true faith and we continue to see throughout the rest of the