12 From henceforward Abram and his seed are almost the only subject of the sacred history. In this chapter we have,

1. God's call of Abram to the land of Canaan Gen 12:1-3.
   
2. Abram's obedience to this call, Gen 12:4-5.
   
3. His welcome to the land of Canaan, Gen 12:6-9.
   
4. His occasional remove into Egypt, with an account of what happened to him there. Abram's flight and fault, Gen 12:10-13.
   Sarai's danger and deliverance, Gen 12:14-20.
   

12:1 We have here the call by which Abram was removed out of the land of his nativity into the land of promise, which was designed both to try his faith and obedience, and also to set him apart for God. The circumstances of this call we may be somewhat helped to the knowledge of, from Stephen's speech, Act 7:2, where we are told,

1. That the God of glory appeared to him to give him this call, appearedin such displays of his glory as left Abram no room to doubt. God spake to him after in divers manners: but this first time, when the correspondence was to be settled, he appeared to him as the God of glory, and spake to him.
2. That this call was given him in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt inCharran, and in obedience to this call, he came out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran or Haran about five years, and from thence, when his father was dead, by a fresh command, he removed him into the land of Canaan. Some think Haran was in Chaldea, and so was still a part of Abram's country; or he having staid there five years, began to call it his country, and to take root there, till God let him know this was not the place he was intended for.Get thee out of thy country - Now,
   1. By this precept he was tried whether he loved God better than heloved his native soil, and dearest friends, and whether he could willingly leave all to go along with God. His country was become idolatrous, his kindred and his father's house were a constant temptation to him, and he could not continue with them without danger of being infected by them; therefore get thee out, (Heb.) vade tibi, get thee gone with all speed, escape for thy life, look not behind thee.
   2. By this precept he was tried whether he could trust God fartherthan he saw him, for he must leave his own country to go to a land that God would shew him; he doth not say, 'tis a land that I will give thee nor doth he tell him what land it was, or what kind of land; but he must follow God with an implicit faith, and take God's word for it in the general, though he had no particular securities given him, that he should be no loser by leaving his country to follow God.

12:2 Here is added an encouraging promise, nay a complication of promises,

1. I will make of thee a great nation - When God took him from his ownpeople, he promised to make him the head of another people.This promise was.
   1. A great relief to Abram's burden, for he had now no child.
   2. A great trial to Abram's faith, for his wife had been long barren, sothat if he believe, it must be against hope, and his faith must build purely upon that power which can out of stones raise up children unto Abraham.
2. I will bless thee - Either particularly with the blessing offruitfulness, as he had blessed Adam and Noah; or in general, I will bless thee with all manner of blessings, both of the upper and nether springs: leave thy father's house, and I will give thee a father's blessing, better than that of thy progenitors.
3. I will make thy name great - By deserting his country he lost his namethere: care not for that, (saith God) but trust me, and I will make thee a greater name than ever thou couldst have had there.
4. Thou shalt be a blessing - That is, thy life shall be a blessing tothe places where thou shalt sojourn.
5. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee - This made it a kind of league offensive and defensive between God andAbram. Abram heartily espoused God's cause, and here God promiseth to interest himself in his.
6. In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed - This was thepromise that crowned all the rest, for it points at the Messiah, in whom all the promises are yea and amen.

12:4 So Abram departed - He was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.His obedience was speedy and without delay, submissive and without dispute.

12:5 They took with them the souls that they had gotten - That is, the proselytes they had made, and persuaded to worship the true God, and to go with them to Canaan; the souls which (as one of the Rabbins expresseth it) they had gathered under the wings of the divine Majesty.

12:6 The Canaanite was then in the land - He found the country possessed by Canaanites, who were likely to be but bad neighbours; and for ought appears he could not have ground to pitch his tent on but by their permission.

12:7 And the Lord appeared to Abram - Probably in a vision, and spoke to him comfortable words; Unto thy seed will I give this land - No place or condition can shut us out from God's gracious visits. Abram is a sojourner, unsettled, among Canaanites, and yet here also he meets with him that lives, and sees him. Enemies may part us and our tents, us and our altars, but not us and our God.

12:8 And there he built an altar unto the Lord who appeared to him, and called on the name of the Lord - Now consider this,

1. As done upon a special occasion when God appeared to him, then andthere he built an altar, with an eye to the God that appeared to him: thus he acknowledged with thankfulness God's kindness to him in making him that gracious visit and promise: and thus he testified his confidence in, and dependence upon the word which God had spoken.
2. As his constant practice, whithersoever he removed. As soon asAbram was got to Canaan, though he was but a stranger and sojourner there, yet he set up, and kept up, the worship of God in his family; and wherever he had a tent, God had an altar and that an altar sanctified by prayer.

7 Our Lord now proceeds to warn us against the chief hinderances of holiness. And how wisely does he begin with judging? wherein all young converts are so apt to spend that zeal which is given them for better purposes.

7:1 Judge not - any man without full, clear, certain knowledge, without absolute necessity, without tender love. Luk 6:37.

7:2 With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you - Awful words! So we may, as it were, choose for ourselves, whether God shall be severe or merciful to us. God and man will favour the candid and benevolent: but they must expect judgment without mercy, who have showed no mercy.

7:3 In particular, why do you open your eyes to any fault of your brother, while you yourself are guilty of a much greater? The mote - The word properly signifies a splinter or shiver of wood.This and a beam, its opposite, were proverbially used by the Jews, to denote, the one, small infirmities, the other, gross, palpable faults. Luk 6:41.

7:4 How sayest thou - With what face?

7:5 Thou hypocrite - It is mere hypocrisy to pretend zeal for the amendment of others while we have none for our own. Then - When that which obstructed thy sight is removed.