Year 4, Day 11: Genesis 11-12

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from Father.

In Genesis 11-12 we can see two stories of obedience.  One is partial obedience and the other is full obedience.  We see them in Terah, Abraham’s father, and Abraham himself.

After the fall of the community attempting to develop Babel, the people disperse.  Eventually the focus of the Bible falls upon a distant descendant of Shem: Terah.  We hear that Terah is living in Ur among the Chaldean people.  God calls Terah to leave Ur.  Terah obeys full heartedly.  The problem is that God calls Terah to go to Canaan.  Terah stops in Haran.  Terah is only partially obedient.  I believe this comes out of a conflict with Terah’s identity.  Instead of looking for what God desires of him, Terah settles for a nice place to live and raise a good family.  Terah’s identity is not fully rooted in God, thus he doesn’t have the interior life to sustain a whole quest to Canaan.  He’s just not fully looking for what God fully desires.

Abraham, on the other hand, listens to God and manages to go the whole way to Canaan.  Abraham’s identity is indeed rooted in what God wants for him.  This is true at least, until a famine sets in.  Then we see Abraham falter a little.  But with respect to Abraham’s identity, he sees himself as the man God sees him as he gives up his life in Haran and continues on to the Promised Land.  He is obedient, because His identity is found in God.

<><