A NEW BEGINNING, Dr. Samuel Lee
YOU WILL BE A BLESSING
Passage: Genesis 11:27~12:9  
Key verse: 12:2,3
Abram’s Family
27 This is the account(A) of Terah’s family line.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor(B) and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.(C) 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans,(D) in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor(E) both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai,(F) and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah;(G) she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. 30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.(H)
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot(I) son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law(J) Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans(K) to go to Canaan.(L) But when they came to Harran,(M) they settled there.
32 Terah(N) lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
The Call of Abram
12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household(O) to the land(P) I will show you.(Q)
2 “I will make you into a great nation,(R)
and I will bless you;(S)
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.[a](T)
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;(U)
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.(V)”[b]
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot(W) went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old(X) when he set out from Harran.(Y) 5 He took his wife Sarai,(Z) his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated(AA) and the people(AB) they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan,(AC) and they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through the land(AD) as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh(AE) at Shechem.(AF) At that time the Canaanites(AG) were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram(AH) and said, “To your offspring[c] I will give this land.(AI)”(AJ) So he built an altar there to the Lord,(AK) who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel(AL) and pitched his tent,(AM) with Bethel on the west and Ai(AN) on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.(AO)
9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.(AP)
Footnotes
- Genesis 12:2 Or be seen as blessed
- Genesis 12:3 Or earth / will use your name in blessings (see 48:20)
- Genesis 12:7 Or seed
Cross references
- Genesis 11:27 : S Ge 2:4
- Genesis 11:27 : ver 29; Ge 31:53
- Genesis 11:27 : ver 31; Ge 12:4; 13:1, 5, 8, 12; 14:12; 19:1; Lk 17:28; 2Pe 2:7
- Genesis 11:28 : ver 31; Ge 15:7; Ne 9:7; Job 1:17; 16:11; Eze 23:23; Ac 7:4
- Genesis 11:29 : S ver 27, 31; Ge 22:20, 23; 24:10, 15, 24; 29:5
- Genesis 11:29 : Ge 12:5, 11; 16:1; 17:15
- Genesis 11:29 : Ge 22:20
- Genesis 11:30 : Ge 16:1; 18:11; 25:21; 29:31; 30:1, 22; Jdg 13:2; 1Sa 1:5; Ps 113:9; Lk 1:7, 36
- Genesis 11:31 : S ver 27
- Genesis 11:31 : Ge 38:11; Lev 18:15; 20:12; Ru 1:6, 22; 2:20; 4:15; 1Sa 4:19; 1Ch 2:4; Eze 22:11; Mic 7:6
- Genesis 11:31 : S ver 28
- Genesis 11:31 : S Ge 10:19
- Genesis 11:31 : S ver 29; Ge 12:4; 27:43; 28:5, 10; 29:4; 2Ki 19:12; Eze 27:23
- Genesis 11:32 : Jos 24:2
- Genesis 12:1 : Ge 20:13; 24:4, 27, 40
- Genesis 12:1 : S Ge 10:19
- Genesis 12:1 : Ge 15:7; 26:2; Jos 24:3; Ac 7:3*; Heb 11:8
- Genesis 12:2 : Ge 13:16; 15:5; 17:2, 4; 18:18; 22:17; 26:4; 28:3, 14; 32:12; 35:11; 41:49; 46:3; 47:27; 48:4, 16, 19; Ex 1:7; 5:5; 32:13; Dt 1:10; 10:22; 13:17; 26:5; Jos 11:4; 24:3; 2Sa 17:11; 1Ki 3:8; 4:20; 1Ch 27:23; 2Ch 1:9; Ne 9:23; Ps 107:38; Isa 6:13; 10:22; 48:19; 51:2; 54:3; 60:22; Jer 33:22; Mic 4:7
- Genesis 12:2 : Ge 24:1, 35; 25:11; 26:3; 28:4; Ex 20:24; Nu 22:12; 23:8, 20; 24:9; Ps 67:6; 115:12; Isa 44:3; 61:9; 65:23; Mal 3:12
- Genesis 12:2 : Ge 22:18; Isa 19:24; Jer 4:2; Hag 2:19; Zec 8:13
- Genesis 12:3 : Ge 27:29; Ex 23:22; Nu 24:9; Dt 30:7
- Genesis 12:3 : Ge 15:5; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:4, 14; Dt 9:5; Ps 72:17; Isa 19:25; Ac 3:25; Gal 3:8*
- Genesis 12:4 : S Ge 11:27
- Genesis 12:4 : Ge 16:3, 16; 17:1, 17, 24; 21:5
- Genesis 12:4 : S Ge 11:31
- Genesis 12:5 : S Ge 11:29
- Genesis 12:5 : ver 16; Ge 13:2, 6; 31:18; 46:6
- Genesis 12:5 : Ge 14:14; 15:3; 17:23; Ecc 2:7
- Genesis 12:5 : Ge 11:31; 16:3; Heb 11:8
- Genesis 12:6 : Heb 11:9
- Genesis 12:6 : Ge 35:4; Dt 11:30; Jos 24:26; Jdg 7:1; 9:6
- Genesis 12:6 : Ge 33:18; 37:12; Jos 17:7; 20:7; 24:1; Jdg 8:31; 21:19; 1Ki 12:1; Ps 60:6; 108:7
- Genesis 12:6 : S Ge 10:18
- Genesis 12:7 : Ge 17:1; 18:1; 26:2; 35:1; Ex 6:3; Ac 7:2
- Genesis 12:7 : Ex 3:8; Nu 10:29; Dt 30:5; Heb 11:8
- Genesis 12:7 : Ge 13:15, 17; 15:18; 17:8; 23:18; 24:7; 26:3-4; 28:13; 35:12; 48:4; 50:24; Ex 6:4, 8; 13:5, 11; 32:13; 33:1; Nu 11:12; Dt 1:8; 2:31; 9:5; 11:9; 34:4; 2Ki 25:21; 1Ch 16:16; 2Ch 20:7; Ps 105:9-11; Jer 25:5; Eze 47:14; Ac 7:5; Ro 4:13; Gal 3:16*
- Genesis 12:7 : S Ge 8:20; 13:4
- Genesis 12:8 : Ge 13:3; 28:11, 19; 35:1, 8, 15; Jos 7:2; 8:9; 1Sa 7:16; 1Ki 12:29; Hos 12:4; Am 3:14; 4:4
- Genesis 12:8 : Ge 26:25; 33:19; Heb 11:9
- Genesis 12:8 : Jos 7:2; 12:9; Ezr 2:28; Ne 7:32; Jer 49:3
- Genesis 12:8 : S Ge 4:26; S 8:20
- Genesis 12:9 : Ge 13:1, 3; 20:1; 24:62; Nu 13:17; 33:40; Dt 34:3; Jos 10:40
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. Leave your country (11:27-12:1)
Abram lived in a world under curse. His wife was barren. He was stuck in a fruitless, meaningless life. Then God called him to leave his father's house and go to an unknown land.
2. I will bless you (2-5)
God does not call men to make them miserable. God promised to bless Abram. He promised to make this barren man into a great nation. He promised to make his name great. God would train him in faith until he became a man of great inner strength and character. God promised to make Abram a source of blessing for all people (Gal 3:8,9). God blesses us so that we can be a blessing.
3. Building altars in Canaan (6-9)
Abram obeyed God's word and left. When he and his family arrived in Canaan, God promised, 'To your offspring I will give this land.' Abram believed God and built an altar. He continued to build altars and call on the name of the Lord as he lived in tents in the promised land among the powerful Canaanites.
Prayer: Lord, give me courage to live by faith, and make me a blessing.
One Word: Blessed to be a blessing