Genesis 12:1-4 recounts the moment when God called Abraham to leave his life in Ur and journey to a new land that God would bestow upon him and his descendants. The essence of this call is simple: ‘Just trust me!’ God pledged to bless Abraham, to make him prosperous, and to bless his descendants. He vowed to make Abraham renowned throughout the world in every generation. He also promised to bless those who bless Abraham and to curse his enemies. All Abraham had to do was trust in God! This same call to trust God is extended to us. He says to us, ‘Just trust me!’
Here is the message of Genesis: God is worthy of our trust. He is faithful even though we are not. We often think Abraham and other biblical characters are flawless in their faith, but that’s not the case. Abraham no sooner arrived in the Promised Land that things got tough for him. Verse 10 says, “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.” Abraham had his failures. Yet, he is held up as the “father of all those who believe.” The rest of the book of Genesis will show us how God keeps his promises to Abraham and his descendants. Please notice that Abraham’s faith was not perfect. Several times, he doubted and took matters into his own hands, but God still remained faithful. The point of Abraham’s failures is to assure us that although we, too, are not perfect in our faith or obedience, God still remains faithful to His promises to us.
The core message of Genesis is this: God is reliable! He will uphold his promises. This truth guided Abraham back from Egypt to his intended place. God didn’t abandon Abraham, and he won’t abandon you or me! God’s character remains unchanged. We, too, can place our trust in him. He will honor his promises to us, even when we fall short of our promises to him. Despite Israel’s frequent failures during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, God’s faithfulness endured. The culmination of this arduous journey is encapsulated in Joshua 21:45, Which states, ‘Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.’ Without exception, without a shadow of a doubt, this will be our testimony as well!