The Lord's Calling
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country... to the land that I will show you."
GENESIS 12:1
+
The Lord's Calling
When Moses was describing Noah (Genesis 6:9), he called him a righteous and perfect man in his generation. No such title is bestowed on Abraham in this passage. No doubt this is because, as Joshua bears witness, Abraham, with his father and brothers, was an idolater and was righteous, not before God but before Nimrod, whose worship he was imitating (Joshua 24:2). Moses, therefore, says nothing about Abraham's person and has no praise for anything in him. For idolatry must be reproved, not praised. But he does praise God's mercy and extol Him because He did not allow this idolater to remain in idolatry any longer but called him out of the church of the ungodly to another place. . .. This blessing of deliverance from idolatry has its source, not in [Abraham's] own merits or powers but solely in a God who pities and calls him. Similarly, Moses reminds his people that they were chosen by the Lord, not because they had deserved this but because the Lord had loved them and was keeping the oath that had been given to their fathers. In this passage we see that the beginnings are in agreement with the end. For what is Abraham except a man who hears God when He calls him, that is, a merely passive person and merely the material on which divine mercy acts?
GENESIS 12:1
+
The Lord's Calling
When Moses was describing Noah (Genesis 6:9), he called him a righteous and perfect man in his generation. No such title is bestowed on Abraham in this passage. No doubt this is because, as Joshua bears witness, Abraham, with his father and brothers, was an idolater and was righteous, not before God but before Nimrod, whose worship he was imitating (Joshua 24:2). Moses, therefore, says nothing about Abraham's person and has no praise for anything in him. For idolatry must be reproved, not praised. But he does praise God's mercy and extol Him because He did not allow this idolater to remain in idolatry any longer but called him out of the church of the ungodly to another place. . .. This blessing of deliverance from idolatry has its source, not in [Abraham's] own merits or powers but solely in a God who pities and calls him. Similarly, Moses reminds his people that they were chosen by the Lord, not because they had deserved this but because the Lord had loved them and was keeping the oath that had been given to their fathers. In this passage we see that the beginnings are in agreement with the end. For what is Abraham except a man who hears God when He calls him, that is, a merely passive person and merely the material on which divine mercy acts?
Posted in Daily Devotions
Recent
Archive
2025
January
Not AshamedIn Every RespectWe Are In His HouseHear His VoiceTodayBut You BelieveRest in ChristRest in FaithRest in Christ’s WordConfidence in Our Great High PriestOur Eternal High PriestCalled by GracePerfect Through SufferingA Little MilkFoundationGod Comes to UsFaith in ChristObtaining the PromiseThe King of PeaceBlessed by the SuperiorA Priest Forever in ChristThe Forever PriestA Better HopeOur Eternal IntercessorOur Perfect High PriestOur Eternal High PriestThe Better Covenant in ChristA New CovenantPromises KeptOnly The High PriestNot the Blood of Goats
February
Only at DeathOnce and For AllImpossibleThe Perfect SacrificeThe Once-for-All SacrificeOnce for AllForgiven Once for AllDraw Near with a True HeartA Fearful ThingRemembering with JoyEnduranceOf Things Not SeenBecause of LoveBy FaithThe Builder is GodAs Good As DeadStrangers HereFaith in the God Who ProvidesFaith Looks Beyond the PresentBy Faith, Not FearBy Faith, Not by SightFaith That EnduresPerfected in ChristEyes on JesusDisciplineCast His Eye On YouIt HurtsWeak Knees
March
Strive for PeaceNo Fire For YouMount ZionAn Unshakable KingdomA Kingdom That Cannot Be ShakenBrotherly Love in ChristConfidence in ChristSteadfast in ChristOutside the CampSacrifices of PraiseJoyful Obedience in ChristPray for Your PastorsEquipped by the Blood of ChristEncouragement in ChristGrace Be With You AllGod’s Sovereign HandFaithful in a Foreign LandFaithful in the Small ThingsTrusting GodWisdom from AboveEarthly Wisdom Fails, But Christ ReignsTrue Wisdom and the CrossThe Wisdom of Man FailsConfidence in God's MercyGod of Mercy and MightA Deliverer Sent by GodNo Wisdom but ChristThe Kingdom That EnduresThe Rock That Stands ForeverEarthly Kingdoms CrumbleThe Kingdom That Stands Forever