By Faith Not Sight part 1: Genesis Chapter 12 Bible Study

 By Faith Not Sight part 1: Genesis Chapter 12 Bible Study

Introduction

Welcome readers to The Daily Manna! Here we read God’s Word as our daily manna allowing it to nourish and transform us into the image of Christ.

Today’s study brings us to Genesis Chapter 12, a turning point in the entire Bible. This chapter introduces us to Abram (later called Abraham), a man chosen by God to begin a covenant relationship that would shape all of history.

Last time we saw how humanity spread after the flood and how nations were formed. Now, we zoom in to one man through whom God would begin His redemptive plan. This is the first part of a two-part section of the Bible. The second section will be tomorrow in chapter 13. 

As always, I encourage you to pause and read Genesis 12 before continuing.

Summary of Genesis 12

Genesis 12:1–3 God calls Abram to leave his country, family, and father’s house, promising to guide him to a land He will show him.

Genesis 12:2–3 God promises to make Abram into a great nation, to bless him, to make his name great, and that through him all families of the earth will be blessed.

Genesis 12:4–9 Abram obeys and travels to Canaan with Sarai and Lot. He builds altars along the way as acts of worship to the Lord who appeared to him.

Genesis 12:7 God appears to Abram and reaffirms His promise, saying, “To your offspring I will give this land.”

Genesis 12:10–20 A famine drives Abram to Egypt, where fear leads him to deceive Pharaoh about Sarai, but God intervenes and protects them, preserving His promise.

Key Themes and Meaning

The Call of Faith

God’s first words to Abram were:

“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)

This is the essence of faith: leaving the known for the unknown, trusting the voice of God even without a map. Abram didn’t know where, but he knew Who had called him.

Faith often begins with a call to step away from comfort and walk in trust. Hebrews 11:8-9 later reminds us: 

Hebrews 11:8-9 NIV

[8] By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. [9] By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 

God tells him to leave behind everything he knew for a land that God would show him. Abraham's story, like Noah's, begins with a command and a promise from Yahweh, the Covenant God. The command is to separate himself from all that he knew. 

The Covenant Promise

We see in Genesis 12 verses 2–3, God makes a sevenfold promise to Abram, a covenant that echoes throughout Scripture:

1. I will make you a great nation.

2. I will bless you.

3. I will make your name great.

4. You will be a blessing.

5. I will bless those who bless you.

6. I will curse those who curse you.

7. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Notice how I highlighted number seven. This is the foundation of God’s redemptive plan. It points ahead to Christ, the ultimate descendant of Abraham, through whom the nations would be blessed.

God’s promises are never small; they are meant to reach beyond us and into eternity. God's blessings are not simply a reward for godly living but a gift from a loving father. His gifts are not a measure of who we are but of who God is. He promises personal blessings to those who follow him in faith and exhorts his people to be a blessing to others. 

Obedience in Action

Abram’s faith was proven by his obedience. He had taken his wife, his nephew lot, all the possessions that they had accumulated, and the people that they acquired in Harran. They set out for the land of Canaan. Keep in mind in Canaan was the son of Ham who was the son Noah cursed that we see back in Genesis chapter 9.

Genesis 12:4, NIV

[4] So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 

He built altars along the way, acts of worship and surrender at every step. Notice how each altar marks a place where Abram encounters God.

Genesis 12:7 NIV

[7] The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

Our faith journey should look similar: steps of obedience marked by worship. We may not always know where God is leading, but we should always come back to putting our faith in God by walking by faith not sight. 

Faith Tested in Egypt

When famine struck, Abram went down to Egypt, but this time, fear replaced faith. Notice how there's no mention of God saying anything to him about going to Egypt. This is because he was led by the sight of the lack of food and worry about how they would be provided for. When God is silent we can be sure that faith is being tested. 

Abram asked Sarai to say she was his sister to protect himself, leading to trouble in Pharaoh’s house. He made his wife claim that she was his sister because he feared her beauty would cause others to kill him if they found out he was her husband. 

Genesis 12:13 NIV

[13] Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

This shows us that even great people of faith have moments of weakness especially in times of fear. Even though he knew God's promise mentioned in Genesis 12:2-3, Abram allowed his fear to drive him to Egypt and into the hands of The Egyptians without keeping trust in God. He also risked wife's life to spare his own. 

Yet God intervened and preserved His promise by inflicting serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household for taking Abram's wife. From here we see Pharaoh giving orders to his men to send Abraham and his wife (and everything that Pharaoh had given him as a gift) to flee out of Egypt. 

This is a reminder that God's faithfulness faithfulness is greater than our failures. We can see that Abram has no choice but to trust in God after he's kicked out of Egypt. We will see how he grows in that faith tomorrow in chapter 13. 

Reflection for Today

What might God be asking you to leave behind in faith?

Do you trust His promises even when the outcome is unclear?

Are your steps of obedience marked by worship, or worry?

Closing

As we close today’s reading, let’s remember that faith begins with hearing God’s call and trusting His promise.

Abram’s journey reminds us that God doesn’t need us to have it all figured out. He just asks for a willing heart. To have Faith. 

When we step out in Faith, we step into the story of His blessing.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for calling us to walk by faith, not by sight. Help us to trust Your promises, even when the path is unclear.

Lead us as You led Abram, to places of purpose, promise, and blessing so that through us others may see Your faithfulness.

Amen.