God Allows Us to Choose
Gen 12:1-9 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. (2) And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (4) So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (5) And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, (6) Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. (7) Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. (8) From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. (9) And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
Gen 12:1-9
耶和华对亚伯兰说：「你要离开本地、本族、父家，往我所要指示你的地去。
(2)
我必叫你成为大国。我必赐福给你，叫你的名为大；你也要叫别人得福。
(3)
为你祝福的，我必赐福与他；那咒诅你的，我必咒诅他。地上的万族都要因你得福。」
(4)
亚伯兰就照著耶和华的吩咐去了；罗得也和他同去。亚伯兰出哈兰的时候年七十五岁。
(5)
亚伯兰将他妻子撒莱和侄儿罗得，连他们在哈兰所积蓄的财物、所得的人口，都带往迦南地去。他们就到了迦南地。
(6)
亚伯兰经过那地，到了示剑地方、摩利橡树那里。那时迦南人住在那地。
(7)
耶和华向亚伯兰显现，说：「我要把这地赐给你的後裔。」亚伯兰就在那里为向他显现的耶和华筑了一座坛。
(8)
从那里他又迁到伯特利东边的山，支搭帐棚；西边是伯特利，东边是艾。他在那里又为耶和华筑了一座坛，求告耶和华的名。
(9)
後来亚伯兰又渐渐迁往南地去。
Gen 13:8-13 Then Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. (9) Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left." (10) And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) (11) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. (12) Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. (13) Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.
Gen 13:8-13
亚伯兰就对罗得说：「你我不可相争，你的牧人和我的牧人也不可相争，因为我们是骨肉（原文作弟兄）。
(9)
遍地不都在你眼前吗？请你离开我：你向左，我就向右；你向右，我就向左。」
(10)
罗得举目看见约但河的全平原，直到琐珥，都是滋润的，那地在耶和华未灭所多玛、蛾摩拉以先如同耶和华的园子，也像埃及地。
(11)
於是罗得选择约但河的全平原，往东迁移；他们就彼此分离了。
(12)
亚伯兰住在迦南地，罗得住在平原的城邑，渐渐挪移帐棚，直到所多玛。
(13)
所多玛人在耶和华面前罪大恶极。
God gives us freedom to choose. In life, we make a lot of decisions. What we eat, where we go, what we do. Whether the trivial or in the more important matters, we make our choices. We often make decisions according to our own liking. Everything choice we make will have its consequences not only to ourselves but also to others. As Christians, we want to align our decisions / choices to God's will. We do not want to oppose or disobey God's will.
Sometimes we want God to choose for us because we think it's a heavy burden to make the choice ourselves. But God gives us the freedom of choice. This is the way he made us. The Bible is very clear that God has a purpose for everyone. God has already set up a plan for us even when we are still in the womb. But he doesn't force us. Just like our children, we cannot force them to follow our ways. We want them to understand and realize what's good for them and choose to live that way.
God called Abram before he changed his name to Abraham. God called him from his father's house and asked him to leave. God didn't reveal the destination. God promised his descendants will be as many as the stars in the sky. Abram and his father Terah came from Ai to Haran. God started to bless them. They are considered wealthy and lived a comfortable live. Imagine what went through Abram's mind when he was asked to leave his father's house. He is also the only child. Despite all these 'strong' reasons not to follow God's instruction, he did.
There was a famine in Canaan. They went to Egypt. Abram, feared for his own life because of his beautiful wife, asked Sarai to tell others she was her sister. Pharaoh took Sarai and gave a lot of gifts to Abram. Calamities fell on the Pharaoh and he realized Sarai was Abram's wife. He returned Sarai to Abram and they left with lots of possessions.
Later when Lot had a dispute with Abram on the land, Abram didn't argue with his nephew. He let him choose first. Abram was humble. He didn't bully Lot based on his age or status. Lot looked at the plains of Jordan. (Lot looked at the good land and ignore the evil there and what it could do to his family.) When the four kings captured Lot, Abram took 318 trained men to save Lot.
Abram is like Christ. He has power and he saved Lot.
There was a King of Salem, Melchizedek. He blessed Abram on his victory. Abram didn't let the victory and Melchizedek's blessings get into his head. He gave 10% of the spoils of war to Melchizedek. He then gave the rest to the king of Sodom.
Abram is seen in high regards by the three monotheisms including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Abraham was willing to offer up his only son of old age when asked by God. But God prepared his own offering.
We need to make three very important choices.
We choose to obey God (12 1:4)
God asked Abram to make three very hard choices:
- To leave his home land. They just moved from Ur of Chaldean to Haran.
- To leave his home.
- To leave his father. This could be the hardest choice to make,
In turn, God promised seven blessings:
- Land (12:1)
- Great Nation (12:2)
- His name will be great (12:2)
- He will be a blessing to many (12:2) – we received blessings not for our own but to bless others, as a vessel of blessings.
- Those who bless him shall be blessed (12:3) – we represent God
- Those who curse him shall be cursed (12:3) – we represent God
- Families of the earth shall be blessed (12:3)
God blessed Abram more than he could imagine.
When God calls us, we need to trust him. We don't depend on our own. When God blesses us, we must receive. When we walk with God, we need to focus on God and centre our lives on him. To walk with God, we need to be willing to follow his will. We are to put aside our own desire. Abram obeyed God. But he disobeyed God once. Instead of listening to God, he listened to his wife, Sarai, who asked him to bear a child with the Hagar, Sarai's maid. Ishmael was born because of this. He is the ancestor of the Arabians. Abram and Sarai didn't wait for God's timing. There are consequences in every choice we make. Abram's choice to listen to the wife has repercussions up until today.
Act 16:6-9 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. (7) And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. (8) So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. (9) And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
Act 16:6-9
圣灵既然禁止他们在亚西亚讲道，他们就经过弗吕家、加拉太一带地方。
(7)
到了每西亚的边界，他们想要往庇推尼去，耶稣的灵却不许。
(8)
他们就越过每西亚，下到特罗亚去。
(9)
在夜间有异象现与保罗。有一个马其顿人站著求他说：「请你过到马其顿来帮助我们。」
This is the Macedonian Call. Paul could dismiss the dream. He work in Asia was going well (v5). But when Paul obeyed God and went to Macedonia, he met Lydia who received the Gospel and led her family to know Christ. (v11-15). Paul also delivered slave girl from demon possession. Paul and Silas was put in jail. They prayed and sang hymns to praise God. There was an earthquake and all the doors were open. Paul and Silas were free to go. The jailer wanted to kill himself but he and his family were saved. The situation remained the same – he still need to be accountable to his superior. But he had hope now.
When we obeyed God, the following will happen:
- God will bring people to us. There will be salvations.
- The will be miracles
- There will be persecutions.
- There will be deliverance.
We choose to worship God (12:5-9)
In Genesis 8, Noah built an altar to worship God right after he came out from the ark. Worship means we want God to be with us in whatever things we do wherever we are at all times. We come to God with a prayerful and worshipping heart. Worship is essential in the life of a Christian not just on Sunday but in the everyday life. Abraham is known as the friend of God because he chose to worship God. (James 2:23)
Avoid the influence of sin (13:8-13)
Lot chose what he thought was good land. But the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were evil. When we make choices according to our own desire, we will miss the will of God.
- 1 Cor 6:18 – flee from immoral sins
- 1 Cor 10:14 – flee from idol worship
- 1 Tim 6:11 – flee from the greed of money
- 2 Tim 2:22 – flee from youthful lusts
Deu 30:19-20 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, (20) loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."
Deu 30:19-20
我今日呼天唤地向你作见证；我将生死祸福陈明在你面前，所以你要拣选生命，使你和你的後裔都得存活；
(20)
且爱耶和华你的神，听从他的话，专靠他；因为他是你的生命，你的日子长久也在乎他。这样，你就可以在耶和华向你列祖亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓应许所赐的地上居住。」
We are to make our choices carefully.
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