Genesis
12:7-9:
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.
Abram's entrance to the Promised Land is marked by the recognition
that “the Canaanites were in the land.” This fact was certainly a
reminder that God's plans would include some genuine adversity and
possible conflict. But God reiterated His promise that this land
would be given to Abram's offspring.
Abram's response to the promise of God was worship. This was an act
of faith in God's promise for the future and an act of worship to God
for His presence in Abram's life.
This altar was, of course, a physical structure. It was a tangible
reminder that God had been with him to this point and that God was
going to provide for his future. It was a visual reminder of the
promises God had made concerning both children and land. But it was
also a spiritual structure in the sense that it stood for the faith
Abram placed in the God who had promised. It represented for Abram
the greatness of the Lord who was leading him into the future.
In verses 8 & 9 Abram continued the pattern of worship that would
mark his life. Abram left Shechem and traveled to the hill country
east of Bethel. The name Bethel means “house of God”; the city
was originally known as Luz (Gen. 28:19). Bethel lay approximately 20
miles south of Shechem but was located along the same central
mountain range. The terrain is marked by rocky hills and deep
ravines. The journey would have been arduous for Abram and his group.
The two actions-pitched his tent and built an altar-mark Abram as a
man of faith. Each time his pitched his tent, Abram was pitching it
in the land God promised to show him (Gen. 12:1b). His faith was
demonstrated by His action. Second, the reason Abram built an altar
was to express his continued trust in the Lord and to offer
thanksgiving for His guidance and protection. This was not merely an
altar where religious ritualism was performed. It was an altar where
genuine worship of the Lord occurred. Though the Lord had not yet
completed all the promised work in Abram's life, Abram was committed
to worshiping God. Worship is an integral part of the life of faith.
It is a reminder of the greatness of God, His worthiness of our
praise, and the personal connection we have to Him.
Furthermore, Abram called on the name of Yahweh at Bethel. What a
powerful expression of Abram's acceptance of God's covenant with him
and his descendants. Abram, who had left his land, his relatives, and
his father's house (12:1), was not worshiping Yahweh in the Promised
Land. The name Yahweh first appeared in Genesis 4:26 as one of the
names by which people referred to God. Abram experienced Yahweh in
many powerful ways. However, not until the exodus event did the
fuller meaning and character of the name Yahweh become known (Ex.
6:3).
The long journey of Abram's obedient faith continued as his
contingent of people made their way to the inhospitable desert region
south of Judah. But faith in the Lord had led him this far, and he
continued to need faith for the adventures to come.
Apply the Scriptures:
Consider writing a brief, autobiographical account of your spiritual
journey thus far. What part did physical journeying play in pursuing
God's call on your life? What things did you have to let go of in
order to go where God wanted you? How did you overcome anxiety and
apprehension? Share the account of your pilgrimage with others.
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