His Story: A journey through the greatest story of all time
The Bible isn’t just an old book—it’s God’s story, and it’s still alive today. His Story takes you chapter by chapter through Scripture, combining simple readings of God’s Word with prayer for every listener and occasional reflections on what the passage means for our lives right now.
Whether you’re brand new to the Bible or have been reading it for years, this podcast is a space to slow down, hear God’s Word spoken, and be reminded that His story is also our story.
His Story: A journey through the greatest story of all time
The Call of Abraham: A Turning Point in Biblical History
The turning point of biblical history unfolds in Genesis 12 as God calls one man to leave everything familiar behind. This watershed moment, what theologian John MacArthur calls "the hinge of biblical history", sets in motion God's plan to bless all nations through Abraham's lineage.
What makes this passage so powerful is the raw humanity it reveals. Abraham demonstrates remarkable faith by leaving his homeland at age 75, stepping into the unknown based solely on divine promise. Yet when famine strikes, we see this same man of faith stumble in Egypt, lying about his wife's identity to protect himself. This tension between courageous trust and human frailty mirrors our own spiritual journeys. The Hebrew phrase that opens the narrative, "Lek Lekha" (go forth), invites not just physical movement but a profound spiritual journey into covenant relationship.
The repetition of blessing, appearing five times in this short passage, reveals God's expansive heart. His covenant with Abraham was never meant to be exclusive but would ultimately overflow to "all families of the earth." This promise finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, whom Paul identifies as the promised seed in Galatians 3. Through Christ, we become heirs of this very covenant, invited to participate in God's redemptive mission. What comfort to know that God's purposes aren't thwarted by our weaknesses! Just as Abraham's story continued despite his failings, God's grace proves greater than our moments of doubt. Subscribe now to continue exploring how the greatest story ever told includes loving imperfect people like you and me completely.
The Bible isn’t just an old book—it’s God’s story, and it’s still alive today. His Story takes you chapter by chapter through Scripture, combining simple readings of God’s Word with prayer for every listener and occasional reflections on what the passage means for our lives right now.
Whether you’re brand new to the Bible or have been reading it for years, this podcast is a space to slow down, hear God’s Word spoken, and be reminded that His story is also our story.
Welcome back to His Story, a journey through the greatest story of all time. Today we're heading into Genesis 12, where God calls Abram later Abraham, and makes promises that will as the hinge of biblical history, the moment God calls one man to bless the nations. John MacArthur describes Genesis 12 as the hinge of biblical history the moment God calls one man to bless the nations. It highlights Abram's obedience, leaving comfort for God's promise. It emphasizes that Abram had nothing to boast of. This was sheer grace, abram's humanity. He trusted, but he also stumbled, reminding us God works through imperfect people just like you and me. Let's pray and then we'll get to work. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this day that you've given us. May we rejoice and be glad in it. God, thank you for your word, that we can read it, that we can understand it, and I pray right now that the Holy Spirit would open our hearts and our minds, that we can see your truth in it, and that it would plant it in our hearts rooted deeply, and it would produce a harvest. God, help us to not only read your word but to do your word. God, we love you and we thank you for loving us and for providing for all of our needs in Jesus' name, amen. Now the Lord said to Abram go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.
Speaker 1:Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran, and Abram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Morah. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said To your offspring I will give this land. So he built there an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east, and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negev.
Speaker 1:Now there was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt he said to Sarah, his wife I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you they will say this is his wife. Then they will kill me, but they will let you live, say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you and that my life may be spared for your sake. When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful and when the princes of Pharaoh saw her they praised her to Pharaoh and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house and for her sake he dealt well with Abram and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys and camels. But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarah, abram's wife. So Pharaoh called Abram and said what is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say she is my sister so that I took her from my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go. And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
Speaker 1:Genesis 12 introduces God's call to Abram with the Hebrew phrase Lek Lekha literally go for yourself or go forth. It's not just a command to travel, it's a call into trust, to leave everything familiar and step into covenant. This moment is the hinge of biblical history. God promises Abram land, offspring and blessing. The climax is in verse 3. John Calvin stresses that Abram had nothing to boast in. This was pure grace. God didn't choose Abram for his merit, but for God's sovereign plan. It underscores Abram's obedience. He left not knowing where he was going.
Speaker 1:Yet when famine came, his faith wavered in Egypt, something all of us can relate to. It's often in tough times that we tend to doubt, and our faith can waver as well, but this pattern is clear. Real faith trusts. It can also falter. This tension reminds us salvation doesn't rest on the strength of our faith but on the faithfulness of God's promise alone. And here's the beauty the Hebrew word for bless barach is repeated five times in this short passage. God's intent is clear His covenant is not narrow but expansive. Overflowing to all nations, is not narrow but expansive. Overflowing to all nations.
Speaker 1:In Christ, paul reminds us in Galatians 3, we become heirs of this very promise. So Genesis 12 teaches us that the life of faith is a journey of trust. Abram's story points us to Jesus, the promised seed, who fulfills the covenant and becomes a blessing to all people. This passage also reminds me that even when we make mistakes, god still can and wants to use us. I mean Abraham lied. He lied to Pharaoh and encouraged Sarah to lie to Pharaoh in order to save his life, and yet God still chose to use him. The promise was still through Abram and that all the nations would be blessed through his offspring.
Speaker 1:It's an amazing thing that our God not only wants to use us, but can use us in our frailty, in our sin, and use us in our frailty, in our sin, in our brokenness, because that's a part of his plan. It's not a detour, it's not a surprise to him. God was not surprised when Abraham faltered. It's a part of the plan and so when we falter, if we falter, we cannot look at that as God can't use us or God doesn't want to use us anymore. God just wants us to turn to him in repentance and keep walking the path, as Abram did and as we will see in future chapters.
Speaker 1:God, thank you for this story in Genesis of the call of Abram and how you worked mightily through him, even in his frailty, in his shortcomings, even in his sin nature. God, we are so thankful that we can look at Abram and see that you can use anybody, including us. God, I pray that we would be drawn closer to you through this passage, that we would be ready to be used by you, however you will, and that we would not doubt just because we are sinful human beings, but that we would trust your plan and that we would walk courageously in it. God, I pray that this day would be a wonderful day where we remember you because you made this day. May we rejoice and be glad in it. God, I pray that this day would be a wonderful day. We remember you because you made this day. May we rejoice and be glad in it.
Speaker 1:Thank you for your word, thank you that we can know you, that we can come to you, that we can talk to you, just like this, and that you hear us. And thank you for providing for all of our needs. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. Providing for all of our needs. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. In our next episode we'll move to Isaiah 9 and hear a prophecy about a child who will be called Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, until next time, remember. Jesus wrote the greatest story ever told, and that includes loving you and me completely. See you next time.
