The
crux of these six verses is designed to reveal one important fact i.e. Abram obeyed
God. He rose above his idolatrous culture and recognized the voice of the One God,
worth worshipping and serving. This God is none other than Yahweh - the LORD,
the Creator, and covenant-keeping God. Nothing is more important in life than to
respond to Him. So Abram responded to His voice immediately. We are not told
how long he stayed in Haran but we know that he had acquired much during the
duration of his stay there. Verses 4-5 said he was 75 years of age when he took
his family and Lot, his nephew, and all that he had acquired in Haran and left
for Canaan.
Verse
5 suggests that Abram had much possession. Besides Sarai his wife and Lot his
nephew, he also took other “persons” he had acquired in Haran. It is often
thought that these “persons” meant the slaves he acquired while living in Haran.
But it is more accurate to see them as people who share his faith. In the cause
of his stay in Haran, Abram had witnessed much about his faith in God and many people
were won and adopted the faith he had in God. And when he revealed to them the
call of God to go a place God was leading him to, they all left with him to
look for that city of God. Herein is an example for us. Like Abram, we must
never stop sharing about the God we worship, and the place He is leading us to.
Remember Abram grew up in a pagan culture, yet he was not afraid to confront
the status quo of his day and talked about God. So must we.
Abram’s
journey through Canaan leaves us important lessons on our own journey of faith.
We must realize that our journey in this life, like his, is a pilgrimage. With
Abram, we are going to the city, founded, designed and built by God. While Abram
lived in Canaan, the land of promise, he knew it was not the ultimate place God
had intended for him to settle in. His earthly sojourn was transitory. The ultimate
city, his real destination, was not Canaan. Hence, while he was living there, the
physical Promised Land, he lived as a stranger and foreigner. He knew he was
just passing through. Remember this world is not our home, we are just passing
through. Our real home is with God in eternity. Hence we must learn to hold on
to earthly possessions with a very light and gentle grasp.
This
life of a pilgrim radically challenges us to relook at how we appraise life.
Our security is not found in the things we possess, our security is in God.
While the mindset of the world celebrates material wealth and comfortable life,
we must be radically different. God gives us all things in life for the work He
wants us to accomplish for His Kingdom. Like Abram, while we journey on this
earth, we must continually build an altar to God in all seasons. Our life’s journey will take us to places, and
regardless of where we may be, we must remember to build God’s altar and make
it the centerpiece of our life. The two
refrains that said Abram built an altar to God remind us that he worshipped God
wherever he went. He worshipped God regardless of where he was and so must we.
In this passage, we are told of the presence of the Canaanites.
They tell us that Abram had oppositions in his journey. We too, like Abram, will
encounter ours in our journey of faith. We cannot deny the reality that in this
faith voyage, we will have to face misunderstandings, temptations, and even persecution.
But we must remain steadfast. God is faithful, as He was with Abram, He will be
with us. We must journey in Abram’s footstep. True faith demands that we obey God
and follow Him immediately. It beckons us to build our lives according to the
direction of His Word. It reminds us to make worshipping God the focus of life.
No matter where we are, be sure to build an altar to God. Know that the
provisions of God are not the end, but means to an end. Building altars
wherever we go also suggests that our life be a witness to the goodness of God
no matter where we are. Let’s follow Abram’s footsteps and be in step with God
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