Abram Goes Part I

Genesis 12:4-6:

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

In the United States, when a person retires, there is the assumption they are going to “take life easy.” This is a season where a person or couple enjoys the benefits of their years of work. Many times, it is assumed there will be a good deal of traveling to places you've always wanted to go, expierencing things you may not have been able to do during your working years, and generally just relaxing and enjoying “the good life.”

Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with any of that. Folks should enjoy a lifetime of hard work by getting to do things they had planned and prepared for. The problem is many times we assume when we retire from our jobs we retire from serving the Lord. I have heard many times from well meaning folks, “I'm too old to do ______.” Or, “I have served my time doing ________.” Perhaps it is, “God can't use me anymore at my age.”

Here in the narrative of Abram's call from God, we see that while one may retire from active employment in the world, there is no retirement from serving God.

Knowing he was leaving everything familiar-that is, community, security, and identity-Abram went, as the Lord had told him. In a word, Abram obeyed. He set out on an unknown route for an unknown destination. Despite all the difficulties of following the Lord into the unkonwn, Abram obeyed the Lord. Simple obedience is the demonstration of our faith in the Lord. Obedience to the Lord has no age limit. Rather than arguing with the Lord about the reasons why he couldn't leave his home at the age of 75, Abram simply obeyed. He went solely because the Lord said so. The journey was not merely a physical one. The presence again of God's covenant name Yahweh, the Lord, reminds us that Abram was also on a spiritual journey. He would be the father of a people through whom God's redeeming grace would come to lost humanity.

The reminder that Lot went with him displayed Abram's fatherly care for his orphaned nephew. Lot's presence would factor into Abram's journey of faith several times, so the mention of Lot here foreshadowed more things to come. We are also reminded that Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. God had much to accomplish through Abram.

The end of the verse is important too. Abram left Haran. Being obedient to God meant Abram had to uproot and relocate. Sooner or later, God's call on a person's life will involve dislodging from the familiar and setting out on a spiritual journey toward the unfamiliar. When God called, Abram went. When God calls us, how will we respond?

Genesis 12:5-6 are important verses for understanding Abram's pilgrimage of faith. First, Abram finally learned of the physical destination of his journey. Several times in the Bible the places Haran and the land of Canaan are found together. In Genesis 11:31, we read of Abram's father, Terah, starting a journey toward the land of Canaan before settling in Haran. In Genesis 27:43 and 28:10, we find Jacob returning to Haran from Canaan to escape his brother Esau's wrath. In the New Testament, we read of Stephen recounting Abraham's journey from Haran to the Promised Land (Acts 7:2-4).

Second, we are reminded of others who would play important parts in the unfolding story of redemption. Sarai would become the mother of the promised son in the promised land. Lot would come to play a contrasting role to Abram. Lot was blessed only in so much as he was related to Abram.

Third, the reference to Abram taking all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran indicated that God's blessings on Abram began even before he set out for Canaan. God was already in the process of making him a great nation. He blessed them with the possessions they needed to survive and to thrive in a new land.

Fourth, Abram set out for and came to the land of Canaan. Abram no doubt believed the Lord would displace the current inhabitants of the land so His people could thrive there. However, the terse summary here puts the emphasis on God having delivered Abram to the Promised Land (12:1b).

As Abram continued his journey, he passed through the land to the site of Shechem. Shechem, meaning “shoulder” was located on the shoulder of Mount Ebal. Years later, Abram's grandson Jacob purchased land at Shechem upon returning to the Promised Land (Gen. 33:18-20). Abram's great-grandson Joseph was buried at Shechem when the Israelites gained control of the Promised Land under Joshua's leadership (Josh. 24:32). The oak of Moreh refers to a significant location in Shechem.

That the Canaanites were in the land at the time Abram arrived raised the question of how Abram's people would call the land their own. It necessitated continued faith that God would fulfill all His promises in spite of the circumstances. Perhaps Abram wondered how this inhabited land could become the place where God would make of him a great nation.

Applying the Scriptures:

In what ways might it be easier to follow the Lord as you get older? In what ways might it be more difficult?