In chapter 12 God calls Abraham. This chapter
begins one of the great adventures of the Bible,
Abraham’s walk of faith. God called Abraham to begin the
fulfillment of His promise in Genesis 3:15 to sent a
Saviour to the world. Abraham was of the line of Shem,
and was the father of the Jewish nation. From this one
man God was to bless the whole world!

God had called Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees,
but he had lingered at Haran until the death of his
father. God promised to give Abraham a land, a great
name, a great nation, and a blessing that would spread
to the whole world. It took a great deal of faith for
Abraham to respond to these promises, for he had no
children and he and his wife were getting old.

Chapter 12:10 tells us that “Abram went down
into Egypt to sojourn there….” Egypt is a picture of
the world, the life of self-confidence, while Canaan is
a picture of the life of faith and victory. Abraham
encountered much trouble while in the land of Egypt, and
in chapter 13 he returns to a life of faith and God’s
leadership. His sojourn in Egypt can be compared to a
Christian living in the world today. Because Abraham had
faith in God, he could not be happy living in worldly
Egypt. A person who is genuinely born-again must be
separated from the world to be happy. In II Corinthians
6:17 Paul tells us, “Wherefore, come out from among
them, and be ye separate….” Christians must live a
separated and dedicated life. They cannot participate in
the things of the world and continue to be strong
Christians. When a Christian becomes spotted and
blighted by the sin and corruption of the world, he
loses his testimony for the Lord.