GET THEE OUT OF THY COUNTRY

How often God’s commands are linked with His promises. So it is here. ‘Get thee out… and I will bless thee’. To those who are obedient to His commands the Lord will certainly fulfil His promises and this is proven again and again in the records of the men of faith.

This command, ‘Get thee out’, was given to Abraham when he was still known as Abram. Stephen remembers the call in his bold address to the Jewish council and says, ‘Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee’, Acts 7. 2-3. The response of Abraham, his faith and obedi­ence, have given him a place in that illustrious roll of honour in Hebrews 11. Paul and James remember him too and write ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righ­teousness’, Gal. 3. 6; cf. Rom. 4. 3; James 2. 23.

It was a bold step indeed for Abraham, for he and his family had been idolaters in Ur of the Chaldees, Joshua 24.2. But a sight of the God of glory had assured him, and in faith he went out not knowing whither he went. The promise was perhaps fivefold. There was, of course, the Promised Land, then Jehovah would make of him a great nation, his name would be great too, he would be richly blessed of God, and he would in turn be a bless­ing to others. It was a bright and happy prospect.

Some commentators think, however, that although Abraham obeyed, his obedience was not complete. The command was, ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred’. The first part Abraham did, he left the land of his nativity. But was it wise to travel with his father, and Lot, and other family members when the command was ‘Get thee out… from thy kindred’? What did they know of the God of glory? Was the call not to Abraham per­sonally? It will be noted that because of his kindred there was quite a delay in his journey to the Promised Land. There was a sojourn of several years at Haran until Terah his father died. Obedience should be complete.