Genesis⁴ 12:1

As we transition to another key personality in the history of the Church, I hope you noticed something interesting (and slightly shocking) in the genealogies: one brother married his niece, another married his half-sister. One married the daughter of his brother, while the other married the daughter of his father. These kinds of unions will later be clearly prohibited when we reach Leviticus—but at this point in the story, they were part of the early human experience.

Now, as we move into the life of Abram, we encounter a new and unique trait of God. Earlier in Genesis, we saw God naming things—light, day, night, creatures—but now He begins renaming people. This pattern continues into the New Testament, though somewhere along the way, the Church ended up misusing the idea by giving people new names during baptism, as though the name itself was the source of holiness. But here, renaming is God’s work, tied to purpose, identity, and calling.

Come to think of it, remember this promise that the believers in Smyrna were given in Revelation 2:17? It says, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” If that promise applies to all believers who will be victorious, then there's a day God will give every believer a nickname and it will be their secret🤫. More like a secret code between the two of you.

How cool is that?😎

We only have to do one thing... Overcome/be victorious.

So we meet Abram (meaning “exalted father”), who will later be renamed Abraham (“father of many”). Nehemiah records this beautifully in Nehemiah 9:7: “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham.”

This man is special—so special that believers are called sons and daughters of Abraham by faith. Maybe you even sang the song - father Abraham, had many sons, had many sons sooooo...." Keep singing and feel free to go the whole way.

From this point on, God begins to identify Himself as the God of Abraham, and later the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Remember the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke? Actually—you can’t call it a parable, because Jesus never introduced it as one. It is told as a true story. The rich man knew Abraham by name because they lived in the same ancient era. Jesus wasn’t giving a fictional story; He was unveiling a historical reality from the spiritual realm. Real men who ended up in hell fire while others were in heaven.

Now, here’s a debate that still gives me homework: Why did God choose Abram and not Job? Job was upright, blameless, God-fearing, had kids and lived around the same season. Meanwhile Abram—old, childless, prone to fear, and a man who could lie at the sight of danger—gets chosen as the father of faith. Job comes from Uz, Abram from Ur—names so close you’d think they were cousins. One stayed faithful even when his wife misled him; the other caved in when his wife didn't believe God. Yet God picks the caver. 🤦

If you get some light on this, tafadhali tusaidiane. I’m still wrestling with it.

We now begin the journey from Genesis 12:1 to 25:11. 407 verses and almost 6,000 words, a whole saga unfolds.

Seat upright, belt up, and let’s cruise through it together.