Portion 3 of 54 · Genesis
לֶךְ־לְךָ
Lech-Lecha
One man is told to leave everything he knows for a land he has not been shown, and he goes.
Start by reading it
Genesis 12:1–17:27
6 chapters. About 24 minutes at an unhurried pace.
Paired reading from the prophets: Isaiah 40:27–41:16
What happens
- 01
Abram is told to leave his country, his birthplace and his father's house, and is promised a blessing that will reach every family on earth.
- 02
He goes down to Egypt in a famine, and behaves badly out of fear.
- 03
He and Lot separate; Abram lets the younger man choose first.
- 04
God cuts a covenant with him, and later changes his name to Abraham and Sarai's to Sarah.
The thing most people walk past
The blessing is not for him
Read the promise again. Abraham is blessed so that others are blessed through him. From the first sentence, being chosen is described as a job, not a prize.
One verse to carry
and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.
Three of the world's largest faiths trace themselves to this man. The verse says what he was chosen for, and it is not privilege.
A question to sit with
Abraham argues with God later in his life, but here he simply goes. What is the difference between the two responses, and is one better?
There is no answer key. This is the part you take with you.