Abraham’s Story: Redemption

Genesis 12

Personal Note: First, thank you for participating in this study. Your comments and questions are so encouraging. As we consider “God’s Story in God’s People,” we are spending time in Genesis. We studied through the book of Genesis last year; however, this time I am taking a slightly different approach. The previous Genesis study, along with Job, Isaiah, John, Romans, and Revelation, is available on the Living Grounded YouTube channel. Additional information is shared at the end of today’s devo. 

I’ve titled our study “God’s Story in God’s People” because this is God’s story; however, we are not on the sidelines. It’s amazing that God uses people like you and me to carry out his eternal plan. The story unfolds through four interwoven threads: Who God is. Who humanity is. How to know God through Jesus. How to walk with God through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

In the first eleven chapters of Genesis, we are introduced to Yahweh Elohim and to those who inhabited the earth in humanity’s earliest days. After creation, sin entered the human race through Adam and Eve. Their rebellion led to the earth’s cleansing by the flood. Now, in Genesis 12, a new chapter in God’s story opens with a man named Abram, who became Abraham. 

God’s story through Abraham begins the story of redemption. One commentator writes, “It would be hard to overestimate the value of [Abram’s call] and this divine plan for the theology of the Bible. Here begins God’s plan to bring redemption to the world. The promises to Abram will be turned into a covenant . . . and will then lead through the Bible to the work of the Messiah.”[1]

Let’s set the context for Abram’s call. 

After the account of the Tower of Babel, Moses—who wrote the first five books of the Bible—traces a genealogy spanning nine generations to Terah, who lived in Ur of the Chaldeans. After his youngest son died, Terah left Ur and headed to Canaan with his oldest son, Abram; Abram’s wife, Sarai; and Lot, his grandson. To avoid the brutal crossing of the Arabian Desert, the shortest route to Canaan, Terah took his family north through Mesopotamia, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.[2] Terah traveled five hundred miles to reach Haran, a strategic city in the ancient world. That’s where Terah’s story ended and Abram’s began. 

Genesis 12:1
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. And 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. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 

God’s Call
God’s call on Abram’s life was unmistakable. The LORD appeared to Abram (Gen. 12:1) and told him to leave everything behind and go to a “land that I will show you.” I don’t know about you, but I like to know where I am going, when I will get there, and what to expect when I arrive. Abram answered this radical call by taking God at his word. 

It’s interesting to compare two Genesis narratives. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had everything they wanted and needed, yet they rebelled against God. Abram was called to leave everything behind, taking only his wife and nephew, and to journey to an unknown place. The writer of the book of Hebrews explains this radical trust. “By faith Abraham obeyed…. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).

God’s Promise
God’s call came with a promise. God said, “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. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:2-3). 

In Genesis 3:15, God told Satan that he would send One through Eve who would crush Satan’s head. Here, in Genesis 12, that plan begins to unfold. The One who will crush Satan’s head is the One by whom all families of the earth will be blessed. With Abram, God begins a nation through which he will send the Savior. The “promises to Abram . . . will then lead through the Bible to the work of the Messiah.”[3] The story of the Redeemer, the Savior of the world, begins.  

Problem with the Promise
There was, however, one major issue with God’s promise to Abram that he would become a great nation: Abram’s wife, Sarai, had been unable to have children, and now she was sixty-five years old while Abram was seventy-five. It seemed God had chosen the wrong couple! Nevertheless, at this point, nothing could deter Abram. The apostle Paul explains, “In hope [Abram] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations” (Rom. 4:18). Abram remained “fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Rom. 4:21).

Abram’s journey of faith was just beginning. Here’s a spoiler alert. It is not a smooth journey. We’ll see times of deceit, fear, doubt, laughing at God rather than with God, trying to shortcut God’s promise, and dealing with harsh jealousy. God’s story is not a story of perfect people. But it is a story of an amazing God and his amazing grace. 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Reading and reflection: Genesis 12. Where might God be calling you to step out in obedience without knowing all the details—and what is currently holding you back from trusting him fully?

Talking to God: Tell God where you are struggling to trust him.

Have questions? Please send your questions to our team. We're happy to assist as we explore God's Word together. Submit your question below, and we'll respond soon. If you're interested in learning more about a relationship with Jesus or seeking spiritual guidance, let us help you take the next step. 

SAVE THE DATE: Bible Immersion trip to Israel: November 4-14, 2026.

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