Monday, March 28, 2011

Genesis 12:4-6 ...And So Our Journey Begins.


So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

As G-d commanded, Abram leaves his old life behind in order to start a new life. Two lessons we learn from here:

1. You are never too old to be called out to do G-d's work. Abram was 75 years old. Most of us want to sit back and enjoy the rest of our lives. Never rest until we go home.

2. Haran is the Hebrew word, "Charan", which means parched. If you are being called out by G-d, no matter where you are, no matter what you are doing or who you think you are, you are living in a parched or barren place. G-d wants you begin your journey from that parched place to come to the living water where you will never thirst again.

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

Canaan is the Hebrew word Kenaw, which means "humiliation or to make humble". At first thought, you have to ask, "Why would G-d call Abram out of a parched or barren place and lead him first into a land which means, "humiliation or to make humble"? Sometimes, G-d has to break down the old person you are in order to recreate the new person sanctified and usable by G-d. This is the case, as we will see, with Abram.

And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

I love G-d's Word. Here, on the way from a barren life to the first lesson in a sanctified life, Abram passes through Sichem and Moreh which means "shoulder the burden" and "teaching". Isn't that the way G-d is? Even though Abram will shoulder the burden of this new life, G-d will teach him how to survive it.

That's the way you and I go through life. G-d tells us that it is not going to be easy to make it to the promise land but he will be there to help us shoulder the burden and continually teach us the way to get through the humbling times of humiliation.

Shalom

5 comments:

  1. Not to say i am anything like Abraham. But it is awesome the way the spirit works. I can think back to the first few months that i was experiencing my new relationship with Yshua. End of my senior year a time when the friends i hung out with were realy enjoying the last months of school (which i didnt hang out with the best crowd).

    The Kind of friends they were and the things we did werent enough anymore. Yshua changed that but i went back to school on a monday and didnt have any of my friends anymore cause i chose To follow Yshua and not the things we all use to do. it was humiliating that day to sit at the lunch table and no one talk to me or act like i was ill. usually something like that would have hurt me badly, but he kept giving me just enough to keep going and to keep going as he still does knowing there is something better at the end.

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  2. Now it begins?....it's taken almost three years!!!!!!!!!

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  3. BC,

    There has been a lot of times like that in my life. However, we also know that G-d makes us stronger through each one.....even though it's tough going through those valleys.

    Talking about getting stronger....how's the old body holding up today? :-)

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  4. Gozreht,

    Quality takes time my friend. :-) We need to talk. Thinking about that Messianic Temple. Think it's time?

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  5. umm... gets a little better each day but got pretty beat today so not to great right now.

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