Hello everyone! Welcome to today’s Bible study on Genesis 12 – Abram’s Promise and Canaan’s Famine. According to Bible scholars, Abram was sent to Egypt in 2091 B.C. and the famine in Canaan took place in 2090 B.C. approximately.
I encourage you to turn to Genesis 12 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Genesis 12 with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know. All the scriptures that you find highlighted in purple in this post are from the NKJV.
In the Bible Study on Genesis 11, we read about the tower of babel. Well, in this Bible study on Genesis 12, we will read about Abram’s promise and the famine in the land of Canaan.
Without any further delay, let us study together Genesis Chapter 12, shall we?
The Lord Told Abram To Move Out Of His Country
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
In Verse 1 of Genesis 12, we read that the Lord said to Abram to get out of his country from his family and his father’s house to a land that the Lord Himself will show him. When the Lord wants to do something with us, He will lead us. Notice, He didn’t already tell the land to which Abram would move. Abram had to depend on the Lord for every step, while he was moving from his land, to know where the Lord was taking him. Also notice, how the Lord chose Abram. Abram didn’t plan to move. It was not his will to move. However, he simply agreed with God’s will and moved where the Lord took him.
The Lord Blessed Abram
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
In Verses 2-3 of Genesis 12, The Lord told Abram that He would make him a great nation and bless him. He said that He would make Abram’s name great and that he shall be a blessing. He would bless those who bless Abram and curse those who curse Abram. And in Abram, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. And it is so till this day.
Abram Obeyed The Lord And Departed From Haran
4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
In Verses 4-6 of Genesis 12, Abram obeyed the Lord and departed from his homeland. Lot, Abram’s nephew, joined him. Verse 4 tells us that Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran. It is never too late for God to use anyone. Your age does not matter to God. What matters is your obedience and willingness to follow His leading and His will.
Abram took also Sarai, all their possessions, people whom they had acquired in Haran and they together departed to Canaan. Verse 6 tells us that Abram passed to Shechem (it was one of the important cities of Canaan) and as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. The Canaanites were in the land when Abram was passing through Canaan. It might seem obvious that the Canaanites were in the land of Canaan. However, it is written here for a reason because the Lord was about to do something with this land.
Notes on Canaan
Canaan was a large and ancient country that was prosperous and situated in the territory of the southern Levant. They also had a pagan religion and worshipped many pagan dieties. They did not worship the one true living God. In the present day world map, Canaan encompasses Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, and the southern portions of Syria and Lebanon.
The Lord Spoke To Abram At Canaan And Abram’s Journey To Egypt
7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
In Verse 7-9 of Genesis 12, The Lord now appeared to Abram at Canaan. He told Abram that He would give Canaan to Abram’s descendants. Now, we get a clarity on why Verse 6 stated the obvious fact that the Canaanites were in Canaan. It is because the Lord officially promised the land to Abram and his descendants meaning the Canaanites that were in the land of Canaan would be driven out and would no longer be there.
Abram built an altar to the Lord where the Lord had appeared. From the place that the Lord had appeared, Abram moved to the mountain east of Bethel and he pitched his tent between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. Abram, again built an altar to the Lord (between Bethel and Ai) and called on the name of the Lord. Then, Abram journeyed further south with his wife, his nephew and his possessions.
Abram And Sarai In Egypt
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
In Verses 10-13 Of Genesis 12, we read that there was a famine in Canaan. According to bible scholars the famine in Canaan was in 2090 B.C approximately. Hence, Abram journeyed down to Egypt. When he was close to entering Egypt, he told Sarai that he was well aware of her beautiful countenance and he feared that the Pharoah would kill him (Abram) to take Sarai as his wife, if he knew that Abram was indeed Sarai’s husband. Hence, to save his life, he told Sarai to tell the Egyptians and the Pharaoh that she was his sister.
In Verses 14-16 of Genesis 12, Abram now came into Egypt and it was as he predicted about Sarai. The egyptians saw Sarai and they saw that she was very beautiful. The Pharaoh princes were also taken by her beauty and brought her to Pharaoh and she was taken to Pharaoh’s house. The Pharaoh treated Abram well for Sarai’s sake because he believed that Abram was Sarai’s brother based on the lie Sarai told him. Hence, Abram had sheep, oxen, male donkeys and female servants, female donkeys and camels.
The Lord Plagued Pharaoh
17 But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
In Verses 17-20 of Genesis 12, the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. To the Lord, the covenant between a man and his wife is very serious and sacred. He does not deal with it lightly because it was the Lord who formed the covenant of marriage and instituted the first marriage ever between a man and a woman – Adam and Eve.
The Pharaoh immediately called Abram and asked him why did he lie to him about Sarai. He said he was close to taking her as his wife and would have risked his life by doing such a thing. He gave Abram his wife and asked him to take her and go his way. The Pharaoh commanded his men concerning Abram and they sent Abram away with Sarai and all that he had.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of the bible study lesson on Genesis 12. We see how Abram obeyed the Lord from the start and how he was willing to move wherever the Lord led him. We also see what happened with Pharaoh, Abram and Sarai. I hope you learnt something from this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. If you have any comments or questions for me, kindly leave them in the comments box below. I highly appreciate it. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until Next Time!