God chose Abraham by His grace as the one man who would respond in faith and follow His call out of an idolatrous world.
After 2,000 years of human failure and a world saturated with idolatry, God singled out one man—Abram—from Ur of the Chaldees. God told him to leave his idolatrous family and go to a land He would show him, and Abram went by faith. God's choice was the beginning of His plan to make a great nation, Israel, from this one man.
Genesis 12:1 — This verse records God's original call to Abram, telling him to leave his country, family, and father's house and go to a land God would show him—the decisive moment of God's choosing.
Genesis 12:1-2 records God's call to Abram: "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing." The Scripture also records Abram's response in Genesis 12:4: "So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran." The biblical record presents Abram's departure as obedient action taken in response to God's command, going to a land he had not yet been shown.
Les Feldick teaches that God chose Abraham at a unique point in redemptive history. By Abraham's day, the whole known world—including Abraham's own family—was saturated with idolatry, paganism, and false religion. After 2,000 years of human history, man had not believed or obeyed what God had said, so God did something different: He called out one man, Abram, from the mainstream of humanity to start a new nation.
Yes. Les Feldick says the whole world was steeped in idolatry, including Abraham's family. That is why God told him in Genesis 12:1 to leave his family and his city and go to a land He would show him. Les explains that the command to separate was necessary because Abraham could not serve God while living under the same roof with idolaters.
Les teaches that "by faith Abraham went" (Genesis 12:4). Abraham's name is known worldwide as a great man of faith. Even though Abram came from an idolatrous home, when God in grace reached down to him, Abram responded by trusting God and leaving for the land God promised to show him.
Les says that at the midpoint between Adam and Christ, God did something totally different from what He had done in the first 2,000 years. Rather than dealing with all humanity, God called one man—Abram—out of the mainstream of humanity and gave him a covenant that promised a great nation. Out of Abram would come the nation of Israel. While God dealt with Israel, He let the rest of humanity drift along in their godless state to their eternal doom.
Les notes that Abram was not totally obedient in one sense: when Abram went in to tell his father he was leaving, the old father said, "We'll just go with you," and Abram could not stop him. God stopped the journey halfway between Ur and Canaan until Abram's father died, so the break from the idolatrous family was completed only after that point.
One Human Race From Adam
Les explains that all people, including Abraham, descended from the one race created in Adam, setting the backdrop for how God later singled out Abraham.
God's Call Out of an Idolatrous World
Les describes God putting His finger on one man in a world saturated with pagan worship and telling him to leave his idolatrous family and go to a land God would show him.
Grace Reaches One Man in Idolatrous Ur
Les stresses that even Abraham's family was steeped in idolatry, and God in His grace reached down to one man—Abraham—in the pagan city of Ur.
Calling One Man at the Midpoint of History
Les explains that after 2,000 years of human history and failure, God did something different by calling Abram out of the mainstream of humanity to make a nation, Israel.
By Faith Abraham Went
Les says God spoke to Abram while he was still in Ur of the Chaldees, commanded him to leave, and Abram responded by faith—going out as the beginning of God's dealings with Israel.
Separation From False Religions
Les teaches that God told Abraham to leave his country, kinfolks, and father's house in order to separate from false religion, and then promised to make him a great nation.
One Man Pulled Out of Humanity
Les says that from the mainstream of humanity God pulled out Abram to begin the nation of Israel, while the rest of humanity drifted along in a godless state.
Abraham Known as a Man of Faith
Les calls Abram a great man of faith whose name became known worldwide, confirming that Abraham's response of faith is inseparable from why God chose him.
Genesis 12:1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
This is God's original command to Abram to separate from his country and family in Ur.
Genesis 12:2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
This verse contains God's covenant promise that Abram would become a great nation.
Genesis 12:4: So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
This verse records Abram's obedient departure in response to God's call.
God chose Abraham because after 2,000 years of human history, man had not believed and obeyed Him. The whole world had become idolatrous, so God in grace reached down to one man, Abram, who responded in faith and followed God's call to a land he had never seen.
Yes. Les Feldick says the whole world was steeped in idolatry, including Abraham's family. That is why God told him to leave his family and his city in Ur and go to a land that God would show him.
God promised to make Abram a great nation—the nation of Israel—as part of the Abrahamic covenant. God also told Abram to leave his idolatrous family so he could be separated to serve the true God.
Watch the Teaching: Why the New Testament Starts With Abraham — Matthew 1:1 Explained