The Mandate of Abraham

Abram was well established in Ur of the Chaldeans when God called him to leave his homeland. Abraham obeyed and after a long journey settled for some time in Harran. When his father Terah died, the Lord once again instructed Abram to uproot himself, this time at the age of 75.

God knew him, even before he was in his mother’s womb. He had called him and had a plan for his life. When God approached Abraham, He left him with the option to obey the call or follow the instruction of the call. He was a free moral agent. He could have declined the invitation. Abraham obeyed. (This is key to fulfilling the mandate on our lives, our obedience). Through Abraham, God formed the nation of Israel, it started from obedience.

Since the flood, God had been working with the nations in general, but now he was selecting a man whose descendants would constitute a new people who would be set apart for him. The Abrahamic covenant became the vehicle through which God would bless “all peoples on earth,” since the Messiah would come from the line of Abram.

God gave the instruction to Abraham to “go” but there were no clear directions or specifics given, just “go”.

This sounds like the call God gives to us. We hear him but we want clear directions before we will obey. When walking with God, it is that leap of faith that takes you into your destiny.

Believe and obey.

Abram experienced immense change through his encounters with God. This was no mere shifting of external elements in his life, not simply an adjustment of activity or schedule. God asked for a complete overhaul of Abram’s career, dreams and destiny. God even changed Abram’s name to Abraham to signify the depth of this change.