The Call of Abraham
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go [for your benefit and for your good] from your country and your father’s household to the land that I will show you.
Rashi’s Commentary
Go (literally, go to you)—For your own benefit, for your own good: there I will make of you a great nation whilst here you will not merit the privilege of having children (Rosh Hashanah 16b). Furthermore, I shall make known your character throughout the world (Midrash Tanchuma, Lech Lecha 3).
Abram, more commonly known as Abraham, was a wealthy man who seemed to have everything he needed and wanted in life. But God called Abraham to completely follow and depend on him, abandoning everything he was familiar and comfortable with for the
chance to know God. It takes faith to follow Him. Share about the time God called you to follow and know Him more.
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2 “And I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you [with wealth],
and I will make your name great,
and you will be a [source of] blessing.
Rashi’s Commentary
And I will make you into a great nation—Since travelling is the cause of three things—it decreases (breaks up) family life, it reduces one’s wealth and lessens one’s fame, he therefore needed these three blessings: that God should promise him children, wealth and a great name (Bereishit Rabbah 39:11).
And I will bless you—With wealth (Bereishit Rabbah 39:11).
And you will be a blessing—Blessings are entrusted to you; hitherto they were in my power—I blessed Adam and Noah—but from now on you shall bless whomsoever you wish (Bereishit Rabbah 39:11). Another explanation is: And I will make you into a great nation, this alludes to the fact that we say in our prayer “God of Abraham”; And I will bless you—that we say, “God of Isaac”; And I will make your name great—that we say, “God of
Jacob.” One might think that we should conclude the
benediction in which these invocations are recited by mentioning again the names of all the patriarchs—the text therefore states “And you will be a blessing” meaning, with you (i.e. with your name only) shall they conclude the benediction and not with them (their names) (Pesachim 117b).
Faith is a call to be part of his plan and purpose
As a wealthy man, Abraham may have already planned how he would manage his wealth, life, and family. But God had better plans in mind for him. He would make Abraham a great nation, bless him, and make his name great. The only appropriate response to the unseen plans and purposes of God is faith. Recall a time God showed you that His plan was different from yours. What happened? How did you respond?
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3 I will bless those who bless you,
and the one who curses you I will curse;
and in you [i.e., in your name] all the families of the
earth will be blessed.”
Rashi’s Commentary
In you . . . will be blessed—There are many aggadoth concerning this but the plain sense of the text is as follows: A man says to his son, “May you become as Abraham.” This, too, is the meaning wherever the phrase “in you . . . will be blessed” occurs in Scripture, and the following example proves this: (Gen 48:20) “In you will Israel bless, saying: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”
Faith is complete trust in something or someone. As we follow Christ, he urges us to have faith in God (Mar 11:22). But our faith in God is possible and makes sense only in a thriving relationship with him.
Faith is a call beyond ourselves
Because of Abraham’s faith, the plans and purposes of God for him were fulfilled. His faith affected not only himself but also his family, and ultimately all the families of the earth. Our faith goes beyond ourselves and affects our relationships with our families, friends, and others. How has your thriving relationship with God affect those around you?
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Knowing God’s purpose takes faith
The purpose of God for Abraham was to make him into a great nation. God has a purpose for each of us. We need faith in order to hear from him and know the purpose for which he has set us apart. How can you know the purpose that God has for you? How can you be in faith to ask him for this?
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4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.
Faith is proven by obeying the word
Abraham proved his faith in God when he went as the Lord had told him, not knowing where he was going. We prove our faith as we obey the commands of God. Is there a command from God that He is calling you to obey?
To receive the purpose of God for him and move toward an unknown land, Abraham needed faith. It takes faith to receive and claim the purpose of God in our lives, especially when he is calling us to leave what we are comfortable with. Have you had a hard time taking the first step toward God’s purpose?
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5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had accumulated and the people [i.e., slaves and maidservants] they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan, and they came to the land of Canaan.
When God spoke, he revealed his purpose for Abraham’s life—for him to be a great nation and to bless him, so that in him all the families of the earth will be blessed. It takes faith to pursue the plans and purposes of God for our lives.
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6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were then in the land.
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7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there [for the tidings of the seed and of the land] to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
Rashi’s Commentary
So he built an altar there—In thanksgiving for the good tidings that he would have children, and for the good tidings that they would possess the land of Israel.
Fulfilling God’s purpose takes faith
The promise of God for Abraham’s life was too great for him to complete alone. Abraham needed to respond in faith—total dependence on God—for the fulfillment of God’s purpose and promise for him. When he responded in faith, from him were born
descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky in number, and countless as the sand which is by the seashore (Heb 11:12). According to Isa 55:11, why can we respond in faith to the purposes and promises of God?
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This work, "The Call of Abraham," is a derivative of "The Rashi Chumash" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein used under CC BY 3.0 and "UNWAVERING: Victory Series" © 2018 by VICTORY® All rights reserved