God Calls Abraham

Genesis 12:1-3

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8, NASB).

When I was growing up I often heard people say things like “He missed his calling” and “I believe that you missed your calling.” At some point in my life I begin to understand that statements like these mean that a person was doing one thing when they should be doing something else.

In the scripture above the word called is translated from the Greek word Kaleo. According to bible scholar W.E. Vine, kaleo means to invite or summon. Kaleo suggests either a vocation or destination (W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, William White, Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996, p. 86).

In the church the word call usually refers to someone who has been called to preach the gospel. It is also used to express the idea that one is saved from sin because God calls a person to partake in the blessings of redemption from sin. The purpose of this article is to help the reader to understand that all who claim to be a Christian has a calling upon her/his life. Too many Christians do not realize that God wants to guide them in their career choices (vocation). People often enter into a vocation because of the fringe benefits instead of a sense of calling. I will use the Genesis story of God’s call to Abraham to illustrate this truth.

Let us begin by making a few points about Hebrews 11:8. First, Abraham has faith in God. He hears or senses that God is calling him. Abraham obeys God. He believes God’s promise. He does not know where He is going. Now this verse begins the writer of Hebrews example of Abraham as one person, among many, of faith. He accomplishes some things that seem impossible and indeed they are impossible for him on his own abilities. So, let us review Abraham’s calling.

Abraham’s calling is recorded in Genesis 12:1-3. In verse one, God tells Abram what He is calling him to do. ‘“Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house. Now, I understand that these instructions do not seem like a big thing for many of us today. During the years of my childhood many people my age (70) grow us dreaming and expecting to leave home. We cannot wait to get away from home. For Negroes like me, we cannot wait to get away from our hometown. It has little or nothing to offer. We have dreams, and it is unlikely that they will be realized in our hometown. It is best to leave.

Younger people may not fully understand what God is telling Abram (Abraham) to do. These are some reasons: In today’s world communication is instant by cell phones, internet, and television. When Abraham leaves home, he may never see or hear from his family again. Today we can travel great distances in a short time by automobile, air travel, railways, and fast moving ships. Family dynamics are different. In Genesis 11:25-32 we learn that Abraham is a grown man with a wife. His father Terah is the head of the family that include Terah’s grandson Lot the son of Nahor (Gen.11:31). Today, many families do not have the structure of families like Abraham. The family is guided by Terah until he dies in Haran. Children today grow up expecting to move out of their parent’s house and get their own. They expect to be heads of their own families.

Today, when a child grows to be an adult they move to a place that they know something about. Prospective college students have access to up to date information through media about the place that they are moving to. They may visit the campus before making a decision. Young people have access to information about the town and area that they will be moving to. Abraham does not know anyone. He has no relatives where he is moving to. The only thing that Abraham knows is that God is calling him.

God calls Abraham and he obeys God. He obeys God not because God gives him a lot of information about the place that he is moving to. He obeys simply because he believes God. Abraham does not know what to expect in the new country. He knows no one. The culture and way of life is different. God does not tell him about the trials and hardships that he is going to face. God does not promise him that life will be easy. God does not warn him that he will live through famine (11:10). God does not warn Abraham that there will be a split with his nephew Lot (13:5-12) God does not warn him that he will get involved in a war (Gen. 14). The people of the land worship many gods, and they know nothing about Abraham’s God. So, what does this faith that moves Abraham to obedience look like?

God makes promises to Abraham (12:2-3). He will give the land that God will show him for an inheritance for his descendants. Abraham believes God. God is not a scam artist making false promises designed to entrap someone. God is not trying to trick Abraham into giving God something. God does not ask Abraham for anything for Himself. God own everything, and God does not need anything. “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (15:6). Because Abraham believes God, God declares him to be in right relationship to God, and God makes a covenant with Abraham (15:7-21). As one traces the history of the descendants of Abraham, one can plainly see that God keeps the promises that He makes to Abram. The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith is necessary. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6, NASB). How might this story apply to our lives today?

Abraham is called to exercise faith in God in all of his life. The supreme test of Abraham’s faith comes when God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac to the Lord as a sacrifice (Gen. 22:1-13). Abraham is not called to preach the gospel, but the people learn that Abraham does not worship the gods of the land. Abraham worships Jehovah only. God does not call Abraham to pastor a church. He does demonstrate to others that his principles, values, and lifestyle reflect the character of the God that he worships. Those of us who claim to be Christians are called to live as Abraham lived. God called Abraham, and God is calling us today.