21 Mar For Good to Start, Bad Must End
Joshua 24:2 – Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham, and of Nahor; and they served other gods.’”
Genesis 11:27-28 – …Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran…in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
As you were growing up learning about Bible characters on flannelgraphs, much like the fact that you probably heard that Noah was a good guy and that God saved him and his family because of his goodness, you likely heard the same about Abraham.
The truth for both men, however, is that they only became first links in their family’s chain of faith because of God’s goodness and grace, not because of their works. In Joshua 24 and Genesis 11, we’re told that Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldeans, which I believe is the same area as Babylon or modern-day Iraq. How many of you knew that Abraham actually was a Babylonian before he left home to follow God?
God delivered Abram, who later became Abraham, from a lot of bad but particularly six bad things, people, and places:
- God delivered Abram from a bad father (Genesis 11:28)
- God delivered Abram from a bad culture (Nehemiah 9:7)
- God delivered Abram from a bad cult (Joshua 24:2; Acts 7:2-3)
- God delivered Abram from a bad marriage problem (Genesis 11:30)
- God delivered Abram from a bad death (Genesis 12:4)
- God delivered Abram from a bad legacy (Genesis 12:1)
If it had been up to Abraham, he likely would’ve stayed in an evil place, continuing the evil trend of his family and generations before him. But, because God chose him to have a covenant relationship with him, his life and legacy was transformed forever.
This is so encouraging: even though we may have friends and relatives that are far from God, God may not be far from them. If God shows up, everything can change very quickly. The point is this: Keep praying for those you love to know the Lord and don’t give up hope while they still have breath.
What has God delivered you from? Thank Him for all that He has saved you from.
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