Abram-An incomplete man

Here we are, at the beginning of this epic journey!

(You can see the introduction to this series here.)

Here is where it started. Abram. This is the man to whom God gave the first promise. Genesis 11 tells the story of Babel, and there is a list of names which leads to a lot of names that we don't know, and then to Abram and Lot, whom many people know. I want to tell the story in a new light. I want to bring out the drama. I am sick of stained glass windows of serene faced people in struggles. Every church I go into has high ceilings and clean floors and the dirt, pain and struggle in the bible is replaced by rich colors and flourishes.

Abram was kind of a loser. He was a foreigner. His wife was barren. That was the shame. Those women without children were nothing. They were disppointment. She had one thing going for her. She was hot.

The Lord spoke to Abram-"Get out of your country, from your family And from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great. And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3

How must he have felt? How would you feel to have this promise come to you from God? No ammount of thanking or prostrating could have equaled the action of obediance to get up and go, like Abram did. The faith to step out with everything on his back and say, Okay. I'm here. I believe you. I TRUST you. And that was counted to him as righteousness.

I'd imagine the fear and excitement and joy propelled him as he packed. The Lord God Almighty said HE was going to bless me! He said he was going to use me to be a blessing to the earth! He will make me a great nation! Me! A childless man!
There was nothing he could do but pack. There was nothing he could do but go. God gave him a promise. Maybe there wasn't as much joy. Maybe it was with heavy footsteps that he left everything he knew behind. Maybe he didn't tell anyone why he was leaving because he knew how impossible it sounded.

Along the journey, the Lord actually appeared to him! (vs.7) And He reafirmed his promise to him with the specifics. This is it. This is land I am giving to your descendants. Abram built an alter. That was all he knew how to do. Then he kept going, and built another one, and called on the name of the Lord. The Lord was bringing Him into a relationship, a conversation, a bond. He had so far to go.