God Call Abram

One man wey be seventy-five years dey pack everything wey e get. Im tents. Im flocks. Im whole household. If im neighbours ask am where e dey go, di honest answer go be, I never know yet. But I know who tell me make I go.

Im name na Abram. Long time after, God go change im name to Abraham. Im family come from Ur of di Chaldeans, one big city for southern Mesopotamia. Im papa Terah carry di family begin go di land of Canaan, but dem stop for half way, for one town wey dem dey call Haran, far for di north, and dem settle there. Abram marry Sarai, and Genesis tell us something wey dey pain about dem. Sarai no fit born pikin. For one world wey your future dey continue through your children, e be like say Abram and Sarai no get future at all.

Then di Lord talk to Abram. Comot from your country, from your people and from your papa house, go di land wey I go show you. I go make you one great nation, and I go bless you. I go make your name great, and you go be blessing. I go bless di people wey bless you, and anybody wey curse you, I go curse am. And all di families of di earth go dey blessed through you. Listen how much God dey ask, and how much e dey promise. Leave your land, your relatives, your papa house. Go one place wey I never even name. And for return? One great nation, from man wey no get pikin. And blessing wey go reach every family for earth.

So Abram go, as di Lord tell am. Na all wetin Genesis talk be dat. No argument. No list of questions. Abram be seventy-five years when e comot from Haran. E carry Sarai im wife, and Lot im brother pikin, and all di property wey dem don gather, and di people wey don join dia household for Haran. And dem begin go di land of Canaan. Picture di long line of travellers, di flocks dey raise dust, di tents wey dem roll and tie, dem dey move small small go south and west, day after day, go one land wey Abram never see.

Dem reach Canaan and dem travel through di land reach di big tree of Moreh for Shechem. And Genesis add one quiet, important detail. For dat time di Canaanites dey di land. Dis country no empty. Other people don dey live here. And na right there di Lord appear to Abram and talk say, Na your offspring I go give dis land. Abram no get pikin, and e no get land. But e build altar there for di Lord, wey appear to am.

From there e move go di hills for di east of Bethel, and e put im tent with Bethel for di west and Ai for di east. There e build another altar and e call di name of di Lord. Then Abram continue, e dey travel small small go di Negev, di dry south country. Notice wetin e dey leave behind as e dey go. No be cities. No be towers wey im name dey carve on top. Altars. Anywhere Abram stop, e dey worship di God wey call am, and e dey trust am for future wey e never fit see.

Ur and Haran, di two cities where Abram family don live, get one tin wey dem share. Both of dem na popular centres for di worship of di moon god, wey dem dey call Sin for di Akkadian language. Long time after, di book of Joshua remember say Abram papa Terah and im family, long ago, for di other side of di river, dey serve other gods. So when Abram leave Haran, no be only im homeland e dey leave. E dey leave behind di gods wey im family know, to follow di one God wey talk to am.

God Call Abram. You go find am for Genesis chapter twelve, verse one to nine. Abram no know where e dey go, but e know who e dey follow. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. God dey ask you to take one step dis week, before you fit see where di road dey go?