‘Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness
    and who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were cut
    and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
2 look to Abraham, your father,
    and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man,
    and I blessed him and made him many.

‘Recalling our origins should give us low thoughts of ourselves and high thoughts of God’s grace.’ Tom Hale.

Under God’s blessing, one person can become more than they ever thought they could be. God’s blessing multiplies the impact of a single life. The significant thing isn’t who/what Abraham is, but who God is, and what He does with Him. It was the Lord who ”called” him, ”blessed” him, and ”made” him into a great nation (Gen.12:1-3).

To the despised (7b) exiles in Babylon, few in number, God says in effect, ‘Your history is the key to your destiny. In looking back to the origins of your nation you will find the inspiration to move forward.