What new thing did God do in Genesis 12 when He chose Abraham?
In Genesis 12, God did something totally different: out of the single race of Adam, He picked one man, Abraham, and promised to make from him a great nation, give him a land, and one day come as King and government. This nation would be God's vehicle to bring redemption to all humanity.
Les explains that after the first 2,000 years of human history covered in Genesis 1–11, Abraham comes on the scene at 2,000 B.C. In Genesis 12, God does something totally different: out of that one race of Adam, He picks one man, Abraham, down in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abraham was originally a Syrian, though he became the father of the Jewish people. God promises Abraham that out of him He will bring about a nation of people totally different than any other race on earth, and they will be the vehicle through which God communicates and brings about the whole plan of redemption to the whole human race through Israel. God gives Abraham the covenant: He will make of him a great nation, put him in a geographical area of land, and one day come and be his King and government.