The Old Man's New Beginning
“And Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old, when he departed from Haran.” Genesis 12:4
The story of Abraham, and how God made a man of faith out of him, is a wonderful picture of how God deals with men today. Though Abram, who later was named Abraham, was in the mind and heart of God before the world began, Scripture tells us that he came from Ur of the Chaldees, about six hundred miles from Haran, where Abram would stop for a time on his journey to the Land of Promise, Canaan. Abram’s journey of faith began by God’s personal revelation of Himself to him. Stephen, the first martyr after the resurrection of Christ, would declare: “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran.” (Acts 7:2) We do not know all of the reasons for which Abram stopped in Haran, although he had been instructed by God to leave his family in Ur. This he did not fully do, as his father, Terah came with him. Terah was an idolater, whose god was not the Lord God. Terah died in Haran. The majority of Abram’s family would remain in that region. It was after Terah’s death that Scripture tells us, “…God moved him (Abram)” to the promised land. How? God had given Abram a command and a promise while in Ur of the Chaldees, a command to leave there, and one according to which God promised to lead him to the land of promise, there to give it to him and his descendants as an inheritance. But with that promise there would come another, one which would only be fulfilled if Abram obeyed God fully, not just coming part way and stopping in Haran, but continuing until he arrived IN the promised land, in Abram’s case, to Shechem. It is important to note that at the point at which Abram left Haran, having the conviction that the Lord’s command given to him in Ur, his obedience was not yet complete. Still around four hundred miles from his destination, Abram would leave Haran when he was seventy-five years old. By faith, he would obey God and embrace this second part of God’s promise: “…I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” (Gen. 12:2) God would continue to say to him, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.” However, it is in the last part of the promise of God that the magnitude of God’s words, and intent in dealing with Abram are revealed: “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (v.3) Though God had given to Abram a promise in Ur of the Chaldees, one that was extraordinary, clear, and convincing, in Harah, Abram would come to grips with the greatness of the blessing to be realized, though he was growing older. All would hinge on Abram’s faithful obedience to a faithful God who would meet his every need.
In Psalm 71, the Psalmist reveals to us a prayer concerning old age, when we think that the possibilities of God may be less than they are when one is in the prime of youth. This the Psalmist expresses when he writes: “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.” (v. 9) Conscious of his limitations and needs, his prayer rises to God for His intervention. Later on in the Psalm, he prays: “Now also, when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” (v.18) God gave to Abraham a promise concerning the blessing of the whole world, reembraced when he was seventy-five years old. Is He not the God today who will meet every believer who will trust Him fully, and obey Him whole-heartedly?
Dear Father, Fill us with faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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