As previously noted, Genesis 1-11 serves as an introduction to the book as well as the rest of the biblical witness. With that in mind, we’re introduced to Abraham beginning in 11:27. This introduction prepares us for his call (12:1-3), as well as makes for a smooth transition between the account of the tower of Babel and the story of Abraham’s call.
We know from Nehemiah 9:7 and Acts 7:2 that Abraham first received his call not while in Haran, but in Mesopotamia. A close look at Genesis 12:1 harmonizes with this as it says, “The Lord had (emphasis mine) said to Abram.” Interestingly, even though it was Abraham who received the call, Genesis 11:31 nonetheless makes it clear that “Terah took his son Abram . . . and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan.” Barnes offers the explanation that Terah had a son (Haran) die in Mesopotamia (v. 28). Abraham’s desire to follow God’s call to Canaan meant he would lose another son as well—convincing Terah to make the move to keep his family intact.
The original intent of the travelers was to go to Canaan, not Haran (v. 31). Why did they settle in Harran? Perhaps Terah (or another family member) became ill and was unable to travel farther. They apparently stayed in Harran for some time because in 12:5 we’re told about “all of the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran.” Whatever the case, Terah died and after his death “God sent” Abraham (Acts 7:4) to Canaan at the age of 75 (Genesis 12:4). All of this should remind us that for lots of reasons, life doesn’t always go in a straight line—even when we’re pursuing God’s will. We need patience and perseverance in the journey we’re taking.
Abraham arrived in Canaan and “at the great tree of Moreh at Shechem” God appeared to him and told him he would give the land he was traveling through to his descendants (v. 6-7). “So he built an altar there to the Lord” (v. 7). He then went and pitched his tent between Bethel and Ai and there built another altar and “called on the name of the Lord” (v. 8). We have then in v. 6-8 a microcosm of Abraham’s initial travels through Canaan. It is a story of tents and altars.
The tents are a symbol of pilgrimage. Although Abraham is called to the land, he lives in it as a pilgrim. Hebrews 11:9 says,
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
Abraham didn’t live in the best house of a high-end neighborhood—he lived in tents—and so did Isaac and Jacob. He was able to do this because “he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (v. 10).
What about us? It’s easy to get attached to this world, isn’t it? If we live by sight as many around us do, then that’s all we have. It takes the eye of faith to think of ourselves as citizens of heaven who are just here for a brief period of time. Psalm 84:5 reminds us that, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” Let’s keep our hearts set on the pilgrimage remembering it’s not a foolish thing to give up that which you cannot keep to gain that which you cannot lose.
The altars that Abraham built were symbols of his devotion to God. We’re not told that Abraham was told by God to build these, he built them because it was in his heart to do so. He built them because he wanted to give thanks to Go and to worship Him.
There’s something powerful about a sacred space. That’s what these altars were. They were places Abraham set aside from everything else to honor, praise, and seek God. This is how a pilgrim continues to live as a pilgrim. They meet God in sacred spaces.
What if we treated the place where we assemble more like a sacred space? What if we turned off our phones or didn’t even bring them in? (The world will be okay for the couple of hours we’re in church). Can you imagine what that could do to our time together? Instead, we walk in with our mocha choke latte datte in one hand and our technology in the other and our focus is already diluted. We are distracted disciples missing out on the power of sacred space.
We can learn something from Abraham!
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 