This is a divine Story, carried forward by God's grace and power.

Genesis 12:1-20

This is a divine Story, carried forward by God's grace and power. God's very great promises (1-3) find their ultimate fulfilment in the coming of God's eternal Kingdom (Revelation 21:10). We have not reached our heavenly destination. We are still caught in the tension between obedience (4) and disobedience (11-13). We are conscious of our human failure, yet we rejoice in the divine faithfulness. We read of Abraham's sin (10-20), yet we look beyond this to God's salvation. This is not simply the story of Abraham. It is the Story of Abraham's God. This becomes clear in the change of name. Abram ('exalted father') draws attention to the man. Abraham ('Father of Many') points to God's purpose (17:5). Like Abraham , we are to worship God (7-8). We are to say, 'He is exalted'. We are to say, 'Christ must increase, and I must decrease' (John 3:30).