You may not know it, but your journey takes you along the
perimeter of your Promise Land.
Here, and in Heaven.
Even those times we get off track (Abraham’s trip to Egypt),
if we come back, God can add those to our Promise Land map.
No step is wasted, even the messy mistakes, and their painful
consequences; if placed in His hands, become a message.
So, Abram departed as the Lord had spoken
to him… Genesis 12:4.
God said, go. I’ll bless you, make you a great nation, make
your name great, and in you, all families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:1-3.
So, Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him…
By faith, when called to go, Abraham went, even
though he didn’t know where he was going.
Obey right away.
…and Lot went with him. Genesis 12:4.
Lot was fatherless. Haran, his dad, Abraham’s brother, had
died in Ur of the Chaldeans.
Lot’s grandpa, Terah, Abraham’s dad, had taken Lot under his
wing, and intending to go to the land of Canaan, moved the whole lot of them
over 600 miles northwest, to a place called Haran. Terah, may have named the
place, Haran, in memory of his son, who died.
They stayed in Haran some time, and then, Terah died.
Abram continued his journey (and his calling) toward Canaan,
which was about 400 miles southwest.
Abraham was a family man.
According to Stephen in Acts 7, Abraham had been given the
promise and command from the Lord while still in Ur of the Chaldeans. Yet he
didn’t abandon his family and run off half-cocked, across the desert; he stuck
with his dad until he died.
Now, with his house in order, he continues the journey toward his calling.
However, his lot-of-trouble nephew, Lot, wants to go with him.
This was not wise. Looking
back, it seems Lot’s best lot, would’ve been to stay in the place named after
his father, Haran.
As far as we know, Lot wasn’t called by God to go. God didn’t
tell Abraham to take Lot along.
But Abraham was a family man, so when Lot said, hey uncle Abe,
I want to go… What could he say?
So, Lot will become a lot of the story, (those parts come with a lot of
trouble).
Abram was seventy-five… Genesis 12:4.
He’s 75 and heading south. Sound familiar?
But he’s not going for retirement, but refirement. He’s
walking into his calling… his God given purpose.
Are you?
It’s not too late.
So, they came to the land of Canaan. Genesis 12:5.
So, they traveled about 400 miles southwest of Haran, to
Canaan (the Promise Land; Israel).
Looking back at Abraham’s journey, from Ur (Iraq), to Haran
(southern Turkey), and then into Canaan, (Israel), and even, the round trip to
Egypt; we see his journey skirted much of the perimeter of what God will
designate as the Promise Land.
Coincidence? No such thing when God is leading. He orders our
steps, guides our paths, leads the way.
IF we listen, and obey, God is
able, willing and wanting to do above and beyond all we could ever ask or think.
The question is, are we willing to let Him?
Abram passed through the land to the place of
Shechem… Genesis 12:6.
Once we say, okay Lord, I’m ready and willing, I commit, my
all from here to eternity. Lead the way, I’ll follow.
Then our GPS kicks in (God’s Promise Sensor).
We start walking toward His calling, our Divinely designed, customized, Promise
Land.
Like Abraham, we may not know where we’re going, but that
doesn’t even matter as long as God is leading, anyplace is awesome
Abraham was willing and obedient, so, God led him to this
place called Shechem.
Shechem was an ancient city in Israel. Today, the area is
known as Tell Balata, an archaeological site near Nablus in the West Bank. The
town was located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim in central Israel. The
name Shechem means “shoulder” in Hebrew.
The Lord appeared and
spoke to Abraham in Shechem.
Abraham built an altar to the Lord in Shechem.
Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, built an altar at Shechem, calling
it “El Elohe Israel,” or “Mighty God of Israel” (Genesis 33:18–20).
Joshua, built an altar at Shechem at the beginning and ending
of his Promise Land conquest. Joshua 8:33, and Joshua 24:26.
Awesome place, but don’t get too comfortable, the verse isn’t done.
And…
Canaanites were then in the land. Genesis 12:6.
Now it gets fun.
Canaanites are there. They’re the cursed descendants of Noah’s
son, Ham. They’re the ones (in 400+ years) that’ll be called giants and Nephilim,
and strike fear in the spies of Israel, causing them to say, we’re like grasshoppers
compared to them.
God’s eyes look for faith in which He can do something great. The
devil watches what God is doing and tries to mess it up.
You can be sure, when God gives you an assignment, when you
start walking toward your Promise Land, following God’s leading—there’ll be
some giants who don’t like it.
When you’re headed toward the target, the enemy will strike.
The Canaanites were rooted in the land, and they wouldn’t be
too keen on giving it up.
Like that old bad habit, that the path to the Promise Land bids us to
let go.
Or that thing that’s become a part of who we are. That fear,
that worry, that unforgiveness, that anger, that lifestyle choice.
That giant may have a name, like diabetes, or cancer, or too
old, too late, too many mistakes.
But pay attention, here, those Canaanites aren’t given any
more attention than the terebinth trees.
That’s a message from our Master, there’s no such thing as a giant,
compared to Him.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
me. Phil. 4:13
Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the
world. 1 John 4:4.
And there he built an altar to the Lord. Genesis
12:7.
Here the Lord appeared and spoke and didn’t say go, but stay.
Here, to your descendants I will give this land.
And there Abraham built
an altar to the Lord.
There in that place he saw the Lord, and heard from the Lord.
When you find that place, stay.
Don’t move, until the Lord tells you to.
And he moved from there… Genesis 12:8.
Looks like Abe didn’t get the “don’t move” memo.
We don’t see any indication that God told him to leave
Shechem.
However, we see, there, between Bethel and Ai, Abraham built
and altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
In Hebrew Bethel means “house of God”
Bethel is where Jacob dreamt of a ladder to heaven, on which
angels ascend and descend. He saw God at the top who said, I am the Lord God
of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will
give to you and your descendants. Genesis 28:13.
Now, we only know what God gives us.
Here we don’t hear God speak or appear or respond to Abraham.
We just see Abraham doing the building, doing the calling, doing
the work.
Religion looks like that.
God isn’t into religion.
When you find a place where you see and hear from the Lord;
don’t move, until, He tells you to.
So, Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
Genesis 12:9.
Southern Israel (Negev, Hebrew: negeb; south, from dry ground
(desert); from an unused root meaning to be parched).
The Negev, the dry earth, the desert, is not what defines the fertile
Promise Land, flowing with milk and honey.
Abe had been to Shechem, a place where he saw and heard from
God.
Then he moved, south.
Then, he went through the efforts of worship, built an altar, called
on God.
Then, he kept on going south, and it got drier and drier… and
we don’t hear a peep about him reaching out to God.
When you find a place where you see and hear from
the Lord; don’t move, until, He tells you to.
Now there was a famine in the land… Genesis 12:10.
South of God’s calling, is a land of famine that leads deeper
into the Negev (dry barren desert).
Now, there’s two lessons, in this segment.
Consequence or Circumstance.
You can be sure, when God gives you an assignment, when you
start walking toward your Promise Land, following God’s leading—there’ll be a test.
Circumstances won’t cooperate.
Everything will NOT go just right.
Things will go sideways.
Floods or famines, will come.
The only way to know if, it’s a test (circumstance) to endure
and go through, or, a sign (consequence) to turn around and run home because you’ve
slipped south out of God’s calling and into the desert, is God’s discernment.
So, it can’t be stressed enough:
When you find a place where you see and hear from
the Lord; don’t move, until, He tells you to.
Find His peace, and never step outside of it.
If unsure of where you stand, but you know something (or everything)
is just not right. His peace, His presence, His confident, calm, assurance, is
gone. If you don’t know, pray.
Ask the Lord to remind you; to rewind you, to the last place
you were right with Him, where His peace permeated you. Where you were in the
right place at the right time.
Then, ask if there was anything left undone. Anything, even a
small step, He asked you to take, or not take, and it’s been dangling,
festering.
Fix that. Get back on track. If you’re stuck, feel free to let
me know, we’ll pray it through. pray4measap@aol.com.
Okay, back to Abraham.
He went to Egypt, because the famine was so severe.
Do we see that God told him to go? Do we see that he prayed?
That he built an altar and called on the name of the Lord?
No.
Do we see that he looked at the lack, and distanced himself
from the place God appeared to him, and spoke with him, and told him He’d bless
him, and provide for him?
Yes.
Did he head even further south of God’s promise?
Alas, yes.
South of God’s calling is a land of fear and deception.
Genesis 12:11-20.
Instead of running back to God’s Promise, he ran to a land of
bondage; Egypt.
Outside God’s calling he was blinded by fear and deception.
Fear gripped him. Genesis 12:11-12.
…they will kill me
Abram’s wife, Sarai, was so beautiful that he feared he’d be
killed, and Sarai taken.
There was (and is) a perverted form of morality that says: It’s wrong to steal another
man’s wife. But if the man suddenly loses his life—then, it’s okay to take the
wife.
Abram was blessed, a rich man with a beautiful wife; yet,
outside God's Promise, he was afraid to be who God made him to be.
That fear, leads to deception; in us, and through us. Because
it comes from the father of lies.
Deception led him. Genesis 12:13.
…say you’re my sister
This was half-true; they had the same dad, but different moms.
But a half-truth, is a whole lie.
If we abide outside God’s Promise Land for our lives, the
world will strip us of our calling and steal our identity.
In the confusion, south of God’s calling we’ll be deceived, and
claim to be someone we’re not.
Selfishness blinded him. Genesis 12:13.
…that it may be well with me
Sarai, obeyed Abram and said they were brother and sister.
So, they took her to Pharaoh’s house, and let Abram live.
To save his own life, he basically gave away his wife.
If things continued according to Abram’s selfish plan, Sarai
would soon become one of Pharaoh’s wives.
But God!
Hallelujah!
But God had a plan that sent Abram and Sarai packing back to
where they belonged.
Now, just because in this situation God intervened, don’t
think Abram got off scot-free.
Abram and Sarai had been given many gifts during her stint in Pharaoh’s
palace. One of which is said to be, Hagar, a maidservant given to Sarai.
After ten years, Sarai gets impatient because she’s still
barren, so she tells Abram: “Go sleep with Hagar; perhaps I can build a family
through her,” Genesis 16:2-3.
Abram says, “Yes dear.”
Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.
If you thought Lot was a lot of trouble—you ain’t seen nothin’.
The consequences of Abram’s little trip out of the Promise
Land and into Egypt still plague the world today.
Endless wars and rivers of blood can be traced back to the birth
of the tribes that’ve come from Ishmael, said to be the patriarch of Islam.
Speaking of Ishmael, God said:
He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will
be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in
hostility toward all his brothers. (Genesis 16:11–12).
Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there.
Genesis 13:1-4
to the place of the altar which he had made there
at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
Abram went back to Bethel (the house of God).
He finally turned around and quit going south. He quit running
from God’s calling, His Presence.
He went back to the Promise Land, back to the place of the
altar, back to where he called out to God at the first.
God is calling, come back home. To Bethel, the house of God.
Make Him an altar of your heart. Call on the Lord. He longs to hear you, and
intervene.
He’s calling you home to Shechem; where you can see and hear
from Him once again. A place to call home, a place to abide, to stay, to remain,
in His Presence, never more to roam, to always feel at home in Him.
No more Negev. No more barren, desert. No more Egypt.
Welcome Home.
Let’s pray.
Father, thank You for preparing a
place, a paradise, a Promise Land, for us. Here in this life, and there, in the
next, with You, forever, in Heaven.
Lord, please let us, here and
now, know Your Presence, Your Peace, Your Promise.
Now, we vow to endeavor to stay
in this Your Presence. However, You know, we’re prone to wander. So, Lord, we
invite You to intervene should we step out of Your Promise Land.
We pray for Your Presence to
saturate us to such a degree that You radiate from us; drawing others around
us, to see the Way, to You.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
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