Template:DOD protected/January 4
January Scripture Portion: Genesis 1 - Leviticus 3 including the book of Exodus.
- Genesis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
- Exodus 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
In chapter 12 God calls Abraham. This chapter begins one of the great adventures of the Bible, Abraham's walk of faith. God called Abraham to begin the fulfillment of His promise in Genesis 3:15 to sent a Saviour to the world. Abraham was of the line of Shem, and was the father of the Jewish nation. From this one man God was to bless the whole world!
God had called Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees, but he had lingered at Haran until the death of his father. God promised to give Abraham a land, a great name, a great nation, and a blessing that would spread to the whole world. It took a great deal of faith for Abraham to respond to these promises, for he had no children and he and his wife were getting old.
Chapter 12:10 tells us that "Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there...." Egypt is a picture of the world, the life of self-confidence, while Canaan is a picture of the life of faith and victory. Abraham encountered much trouble while in the land of Egypt, and in chapter 13 he returns to a life of faith and God's leadership. His sojourn in Egypt can be compared to a Christian living in the world today. Because Abraham had faith in God, he could not be happy living in worldly Egypt. A person who is genuinely born-again must be separated from the world to be happy. In II Corinthians 6:17 Paul tells us, "Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate...." Christians must live a separated and dedicated life. They cannot participate in the things of the world and continue to be strong Christians. When a Christian becomes spotted and blighted by the sin and corruption of the world, he loses his testimony for the Lord.
