“Go forth” — a Risky Command

Parashat Lech L’cha, Genesis 12:1–17:27

Mary Haller, Tikvat Israel, Richmond, VA

Then Adonai said to Abram, “Get going from your land, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” Genesis 12:1

God was directing Abram to leave all he knew for a future in an unknown land. Abram heard God. Trusting in what he heard, he responded by leaving his home, taking with him his wife and his nephew and their personal possessions.

Let’s take a look back at God’s call to Abram/Abraham. First, God commanded Abraham to walk away from his home and his father’s household and walk to an unknown land. He journeyed to Egypt for a temporary stay. Here he experienced a challenge with the locals. Abraham, being human, decided to take things upon himself and solve the problem by telling a half truth. I am fairly sure at this point of his journey he was fearful and reacted rather than being still and knowing God was right there with him. His journey continued, leaving Egypt, traveling through Jordan and beyond. In Genesis 14, Abraham fought the nations for control of the land. This portion of the journey had yet another challenge for Abraham to live by trusting God or by taking provision from the king in the way of war spoils. Abraham stood strong refusing all rewards. He walked out trusting in the wisdom he received from God. Abraham knew if he accepted the spoils it could be counted to the credit of the earthly king being a provider for Abraham and his clan. The trials along the way were lessons in living.

When Abraham allowed God to work by trusting in the promise, things went well. As we read, life wasn’t easy, but God was always present.

In the fall of 1973 as a High School Junior, I heard a presentation from a Hope College representative that impacted my life. The details of the message were not as important as the overall subject matter. The representative painted a picture of what could be mine in the way of education and preparation for a life filled with purpose. Attending Hope College would lead to the possibility of a challenging yet positive future. College was a direction I never thought was possible for me. This was a Lech L’cha moment in my life.

Deep within my soul, like Abraham, I knew God was prompting me. I was to leave everything and everyone and begin anew. I accepted the invitation and began something new. It was August 1974 and as a 17-year-old I packed up all my belongings in one suitcase and headed off to Hope College in Holland Michigan. New York State become a distant memory as I faced a solo journey into the unknown. I heard the still strong voice and obeyed. Looking back over the last 50 years I am thankful to have heard the still voice, which I now know for sure was the God who loves me, called me, and continues to equip me for his purpose.

My time at Hope College was the springboard to my faith journey that continues even today. Each day is new and God still faithfully works in, on, and through me to fulfill his purposes to bless others as I continue to surrender my life.

The word “hope” is defined as the anticipation of something not yet attained. I had many questions and few if any answers. I wanted to know my purpose. My journey led me to doors of opportunity. With each new day the choice to proceed was mine. Like Abraham, I knew about God and I believed in God. The journey God put before me gave me the opportunity to seek him in ways I could not have imagined. Throughout my time at Hope College I developed what I now know was the beginning of a life of trust in God. Initially I accepted him as my provision for strength, for love, and for the wisdom that opened doors to understanding. Getting to know more of God by trusting him was indeed the key to a peaceful life. During this time in my young life I had literally had nothing other than the promise of a future.

It is written in Hebrews 11:8, “He went out, not knowing where he was going.” The journey for Abraham was not easy; it was full of hardship and unknowns—much the same as any of us face today as we endeavor to live out a life a faith. The challenge we have is to trust in a God we cannot see with our physical eyes. Abraham’s life is a good example of an ordinary human being building his trust in God over his lifetime. It all began with taking a step into the unknown.

God’s promise to Abraham was to make him into a great nation, to bless him and make his name great so he could then be a blessing to other people (Gen 12:2–3). God was giving Abraham an opportunity to live a life that would bring about something that was most likely beyond Abraham’s scope of understanding. We can read how God faithfully delivered on the promise he made to Abraham. He had no children when he began his journey, and God blessed him in his old age.

The Hebrew term for commandment is mitzvah. It has an additional meaning that doesn’t come through in English. Mitzvah denotes a command that has a blessing attached to it. Hence Lech L’cha is more than a command. When we follow his command, God honors our actions with his blessing. I believe God enjoys our readiness to please him by our willingness to follow his ways without expectation of anything in return. 

Abraham was like us, a regular human. He wasn’t perfect; he stumbled. Remember when he called Sarah his sister to avoid trouble in Egypt? In Abraham’s moment of weakness, God’s mercy was present, protecting Sarah’s dignity and ending Abraham’s deception by sending plagues on Pharoah’s house (Gen 12:17).

Living in today’s world, we too face many unknowns. As people who profess a faith in the God of Abraham, trusting also in the Good News of Yeshua the Messiah, we to come face to face with challenges throughout our journeys. Like Abraham, we can respond to these trials or challenges as opportunities to build a closer relationship to God, to show our commitment to his ways by trusting in a God we can’t see with our eyes as we follow the path he has put before us.

Like Abraham we too must respond to God’s call. We read in Hebrews 11:6 “Now without faith it is impossible to please God. For the one who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Allow me to encourage you to accept the challenge that is before you today. Trust in the peaceful inner voice and respond to it by taking the first step. Even if the step is risky, walk out of your comfort zone, just as Abraham did. God’s mercy is ever present today just as it was in the days of Abraham.

Scripture references are from the Tree of Life Version, TLV.