7 – Call of Abraham

Genesis 11:26 – 12:20

There was a man named Terah who lived in a place called Ur. He had three sons, and one of them was Abram. Now Abram was married to his half-sister Sarai, but they had no children.
Terah took Abram, Sarai, and his grandson Lot (who was an orphan) and moved north to a place called Haran. They stayed there until Terah died.

When Abram was seventy-five years old, the LORD said, “Abram, I want you to leave your family and country and go to a place I have selected for you. I’ll make you into a nation and your name will be great. I’ll bless you, and I’ll also bless everyone else who blesses you. And I’ll curse anyone who curses you. All the families of the earth will be blessed because of you.”

So Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot and left Haran. When they came to a place called Canaan, God said, “I’m giving this land to you and your children.” Abram believed God, even though he didn’t have any children. He knew God would keep his promise. So he built an altar there and worshiped the Lord.

Sometime later, a severe famine hit the land. So Abram took all he had and went to Egypt. He said to Sarai, “The Egyptians will see you’re a beautiful woman. They’ll kill me in order to get you. So tell them you’re my sister.”

He was right. The Egyptians saw that Sarai was beautiful. When Pharaoh found out that she wasn’t married, he took her into his house. He treated Abram well, thinking the man was her brother.

Abram became rich in Egypt. His wealth included sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and servants.

God was angry with Pharaoh because he had Sarai in his house. Plagues hit his family, and everyone got seriously sick. Finally, Pharaoh said to Abram, “Why did you do this to me? You said she was your sister. Now I find out she’s your wife! Take her and get out of here!”

So Abram took Sarai and Lot and went back to Canaan. They settled near a place called Bethel. There, he worshiped the Lord.

Story Told
Story Telling and Questions by Mickie O’Donnell
Insights
Audio

Storyboard
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  1. Why might it be a good thing for you to leave your “comfort zone” and attempt new ventures?
  2. Watch the video Call of Abraham.
  3. Read Gen 12:1-3.  Make a list of everything that God promises to Abram.
  4. What do these promises tell us about God?
  5. Read Gen 12:4-9. What character traits do you see in Abram? What do you see Abram doing or saying that indicate these character traits?
  6. When faced with a problem (v.12), Abram attempts to handle the problem on his own. What does this tell us about Abraham?
  7. What lesson can we learn from this?
  8. What is the first thing Abram does upon reaching Canaan?  And again in Bethel?
  9. What is significant about the construction of the altars?
  10. What has this story taught you about responding to God’s call?
  11. Retell The Call of Abraham as a group.
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