Genesis 11 & 12: Will You Call Upon The Lord?
Verse of the Day: (12:8) And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the LORD.
1. City (11:1-32)
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. (11:4)
The people became wicked and proud, and they strove to have a name for themselves, and to worship themselves instead of God. They chose to build a city and a tower to reach heaven to challenge God’s authority. They failed to realise that God had judged the entire human race with death, when the first couple, Adam and Eve, disobeyed Him. The only way to heaven is when they truly acknowledge God as their Creator, and believe in Him, and God shall then promote their souls to heaven to be with Him when they die one day.
2. Country (12:1-5)
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee… (12:1)
Abram trusted and obeyed God when God commanded him to depart from his country to go to a foreign land. Though it was not an easy decision, yet Abram obeyed and trusted God. By faith, Abram believed that God who called him shall surely lead and direct him, and protect and provide for him and his family with all their needs. Indeed, when we trust and obey God, He shall richly bless us with all material as well as spiritual blessings.
3. Call (12:6-20)
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. (12:7)
God appeared to Abram to encourage him that He would fulfil His promise to bless him with the land of Canaan. Abram was encouraged by God’s presence, and he built an altar at the site of His appearance, and thereafter he daily called upon Him. Abram knew that only God could grant him victory over his enemies in a foreign land. Still, Abram failed God many times. When a famine came, instead of calling upon God to deliver them, he and his family went to Egypt. When he was in Egypt, he lied to the Egyptians that his wife was his sister, as he feared that they might kill him and stole his beautiful wife. Subsequently, Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, wanted his wife, but God intervened, and sent a disease to hurt Pharaoh’s family. Pharaoh then realised that God was with Abram. Abram confessed that his sister was actually his wife. Indeed, let us call upon God as He is faithful to deliver us from all our crises, though many times we are unfaithful to Him.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to call upon You in good and bad times and all the time.
