Genesis Chapter 12 — The Call of Abram | In His Image - Genesis Bible Study
The LORD gives Abram a remarkable promise:
“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.” — Genesis 12:2 KJV
God also promises that through Abram “all families of the earth” will be blessed (Genesis 12:3). This covenant promise becomes foundational to the remainder of Genesis and ultimately points forward to God's redemptive purpose through Abraham's seed.
Abram obeys and departs from Haran at seventy-five years old, taking Sarai, Lot, their possessions, and the people associated with their household. When Abram arrives in Canaan, the LORD appears to him and promises:
“Unto thy seed will I give this land.” — Genesis 12:7 KJV
Abram responds by building an altar unto the LORD.
A famine later causes Abram to travel into Egypt. Fearing that the Egyptians will kill him because of Sarai's beauty, Abram asks her to say that she is his sister. Pharaoh takes Sarai into his house, but the LORD intervenes by sending great plagues upon Pharaoh and his household. Pharaoh returns Sarai to Abram and commands them to leave.
Genesis 12 therefore presents both Abram's faith and Abram's weakness. He obeys God's call and builds altars in Canaan, yet later allows fear to influence his actions in Egypt. Through both circumstances, however, God remains faithful to His purpose.
Genesis 12:1 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:
Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Genesis 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
Genesis 12:6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
Genesis 12:7 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.
Genesis 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 name of the LORD.
Genesis 12:9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
Genesis 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
Genesis 12:11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
Genesis 12:12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
Genesis 12:13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
Genesis 12:14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
Genesis 12:15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
Genesis 12:16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
Genesis 12:17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
Genesis 12:18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
Genesis 12:19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
Genesis 12:20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
(KJV)
Observation Questions
What three things did God command Abram to leave in Genesis 12:1?
What promises did the LORD give Abram in Genesis 12:2–3?
How old was Abram when he departed from Haran, and who traveled with him?
What did God promise Abram after he entered the land of Canaan?
What did Abram do after the LORD appeared to him in Genesis 12:7?
Why did Abram ask Sarai to say that she was his sister when they entered Egypt, and how did God intervene?
Reflection Questions
Abram obeyed God's call without being shown every detail of what lay ahead. What does this teach you about walking by faith when God has not revealed the entire journey?
God told Abram, “I will bless thee...and thou shalt be a blessing.” How should God's blessings upon our lives affect the way we minister to and serve others?
Abram built altars as he journeyed through Canaan. What practices help you continually acknowledge God as you move through different seasons of your life?
How does Abram's response to the famine challenge you to distinguish between trusting God's direction and responding primarily out of fear or circumstances?
Abram demonstrated faith in leaving Haran but fear when entering Egypt. What does this teach you about having strong faith in one area while still needing growth in another?
God protected Sarai despite Abram's poor decision. What does this reveal to you about God's faithfulness to His purposes even when His servants make mistakes?
Practical Application
Genesis 12 teaches that faith often requires movement before we possess all the details.
God told Abram:
“Get thee out...unto a land that I will shew thee.” — Genesis 12:1 KJV
God did not give Abram the entire journey before requiring obedience. Abram had to trust the One who called him.
This is an important principle for our own walk with God. We often want God to reveal where, when, how, and what will happen afterward before we obey. Abram's calling demonstrates that biblical faith rests first upon the faithfulness of God, not upon our ability to see everything ahead.
There is also a striking contrast between Babel in Genesis 11 and Abram in Genesis 12.
At Babel, humanity said:
“Let us make us a name.” — Genesis 11:4
But God told Abram:
“I will...make thy name great.” — Genesis 12:2
One represents self-exaltation; the other represents what God Himself establishes according to His purpose.
Abram was also called to become more than a recipient of blessing:
“Thou shalt be a blessing.”
God's blessing was intended to flow through him, not merely stop with him. This principle reaches its fullest significance in God's promise that “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Yet Genesis 12 does not portray Abram as flawless. The same man who had enough faith to leave his homeland became afraid when he entered Egypt. His story reminds us that faith must continue to develop. One act of obedience does not mean we will never again confront fear.
God nevertheless intervened to protect Sarai. This is particularly important because the promises concerning Abram's future seed had already been given. God's redemptive purpose was unfolding even while Abram was still learning to trust Him.
Key Truth
Genesis 12 begins the covenant journey of Abram. God called him out, promised him a land and a seed, declared that all families of the earth would be blessed through him, and began teaching Abram that the life of faith requires continual trust in the God who called him.
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