The Calling of God to Abraham

The Calling of God had three parts. A command to go, a blessing to Abraham and his future descendants, finally a blessing to all the families of the earth, through Abraham and those who would come from him, in particular, the Messiah.

This is the first time God offers a covenant to Abraham. God doesn’t label it as a convent yet, that will come later. Yet even here in its first seminal form all the elements are here that will be formally and fully given in chapters 15 and 17. Here it is the beginning of the Abrahamic Covenant. We will talk of it in detail in the next point but here I want to make one overall point.

The blessings of the covenant began when Abram departed the land of his fathers. He showed his faith in God’s word and promises by trusting God and departing the pagan land of Haran. God took those steps of Abram’s faith and blessed him and through him, the future nation of Israel and all the families of the earth including us to this very day.

Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Now that is belief with a capital B and faith with a fantastic future. “he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” I dearly love that phrase. He walked away from the past paganism of Haran, into the present blessing of God, looking for the future city whose builder and maker is God.

Had he not believed God and turned from his old life, the blessing and salvation of God could not have touched him, but he did and we are all touched by the promises of God to Abraham.

The Calling of God to Us

The Bible tells us that like Abraham we are all called by God.

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 1 Thessalonians 2:12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 2 Thessalonians 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Revelation 22:16-17 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

We are called by the Gospel and we respond, like Abraham, by turning from our old self, our old life, our old sin and putting our faith in God’s provision of salvation through Jesus’ death for us, and we step out, beginning our journey looking for that city whose builder and maker is God.

What is behind us matters not, what is behind us holds us back. All that matters is what we see before us through the eyes of faith.

I love what C. S. Lewis said in his novel “Till We Have Faces.” It is the retelling of a Greek myth but this quote has the ring of a Christian’s heart as he looks toward heaven and the fulfillment of God’s promises. “The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing — to reach the Mountain, to find the place where all the beauty came from… Do you think it all meant nothing, all the longing? The longing for home? For indeed it now feels not like going, but like going back. All my life the god of the Mountain has been wooing me. Oh, look up once at least before the end and wish me joy. I am going to my lover.”

Look up and wish me joy. I am going to that city whose builder and maker is God who in grace has called me to come home.”

Abraham was called and his belief could be measured in the steps he took toward God’s promised land.