Abraham's Call

(The following is a brief extract from the message that was preached on July 18, 2021.)

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.

Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“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. 

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

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. 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.

(Genesis 11:31-12:5)

In Genesis 12, we read the story of how God called Abram. At first, Abram only half-obeyed the word of God. The Lord had said:

“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”

Abram left the land, but he didn’t leave his people or his father’s household. His father Terah came with him, his nephew Lot came with him, and I assume there were other people in his household who came too.

You can imagine Abram, at first, telling his family that he was leaving. “The Lord has spoken to me, and told me to leave here. I must go to the land that God will show me. Goodbye.”

People in that situation sometimes find that their family opposes them. And then it takes a huge amount of strength from the Lord to do it anyway, to stand up to opposition when you know that the Lord has called you to do something.

But in Abram’s case, there was a different kind of evil temptation. That was the temptation of compromise. His family didn’t oppose him. They said, “OK. If you really want to do this, fine. But we’ll come too.” And Abram’s father, Terah, actually takes a leading role in this. Terah calls everyone together and he leads them out from Ur of the Chaldeans.

I guess this must have pleased Abram. He didn’t have to say goodbye to his loved ones after all. They could all go together. This was an even better plan than the plan God had. You see, in God’s plan, Abram had to leave everyone. But now, they’re going all together to the promised land. That’s great, right?

Well, it seemed like a good thing, but it led to trouble. They packed up all their belongings. Perhaps they put their things on camels and in carts, and they started out on the long journey to Canaan. But after travelling for a while, the carts start to feel heavy. The sun is beating down hotly on their heads. And Abram’s father is old, and not as strong as he used to be. His feet are getting tired.

And then they come to a place called Harran. Harran is very nice. There are trees that have cool shade. Perhaps there is a little river there. The landscape looks very nice. And Abram’s family start to speak to Abram:

“Let’s stay here. This is a beautiful place. We don’t need to go any further. You have obeyed God this far. That’s enough.”

“Surely we don’t need to go all the way to Canaan. This is close enough. Don’t be so strict on yourself. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Think about us. Think about your family. We don’t want to keep on travelling like this. This is good enough.”

And so, they settled in Harran. I think we can all completely understand that. Abram was a good man. He loved his family. So, he compromised. He half obeyed God, and they settled in Harran.

But half obedience is the same as complete disobedience. And what was the result?

1. God was silent.

There is nothing written here about God speaking to Abram while he was in Harran. God’s voice was not there, God’s blessing was not there. God had said to Abram that his blessing would be in the land where he was taking Abram, not in Harran.

2. Trouble was brewing.

While they were in Harran, Abram’s attachment to Lot was growing. God told Abram to leave his family, but he was still holding tight to Lot. And in the future, that was going to cause him a great deal of trouble and pain. When you keep reading through Genesis, you can see all the trouble that Lot caused Abram afterwards.

3. Blessing was delayed.

God had promised such blessings: I will make you into a great nation, I will make your name great, and you will be so blessed, and you will be a blessing to everyone around you.

That was the promise. But it wasn’t going to happen in Harran. This is something that is very important to remember: You don’t get a half-blessing by half-obeying God. The is no blessing in half-obedience.

All these wonderful blessings were prepared for Abram, and they were sitting waiting for him in the promised land. But Abram was hanging around in Harran. And all these great blessings were delayed.

Then what happened? The Lord took Abram’s father away.

Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

This was an act of mercy from God. The Lord didn’t want Abram to waste his life, hanging around in Harran. It was a complete waste of time. Nothing good happened in Harran. It wasn’t the place where God wanted Abram to be. So, in an act of loving kindness, the Lord took away Abram’s father. That must have caused a lot of pain and sadness, but it was the best thing for Abram.

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. 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.

The Lord brought them to the land of blessing. Abram stopped compromising, and he fixed his eyes on heavenly things. He put all earthly things to one side: personal relationships, family and friends, his career, his own thinking about what was good or bad… Abram put them all to one side. He trusted God completely, and he fixed his eyes on the heavenly reward that God had called him to.

Hebrews 12 says it like this:

By faith [Abram] made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

So, in conclusion, there is so much we can learn from this story. Let me leave you with two lessons that I see.

1. Don’t settle in Harran

Harran is a barren, dead place. Don’t stay there. Harran is a place for people who only want to half obey the Lord. It’s a place for people who are not committed 100% to following God. It’s a place for people who only obey God when it’s convenient. And so, they choose when they will obey and when they won’t obey.

When you’re in that place, there is no voice from God. There is no sweet fellowship and peace from God. There is no blessing there. And the longer you stay in Harran, the longer you are delaying the wonderful blessings that God has prepared for you.

So don’t settle in Harran. Go to the land that God has shown you.

2. Be a blessing

That was the promise to Abram: “I will bless all peoples of the earth through you”. And we are heirs of that promise. Use all these blessings that God has given you: Use your time, use your money, use your skills and talents to serve the Lord here, in this land. The Lord has brought you to Japan for a purpose. The Lord has work for you to do here.

Let’s be a blessing to the people of this land.