“And Abraham went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar…” Genesis 13:3,4
There is no doubt that Abraham, mentioned in the Old Testament, was a man who came to know God. His journey in this quest began in Mesopotamia, in the place called Ur of the Chaldees. It was there that, according to Stephen in the book of Acts of the Apostles, he wrote: “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him: ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.'” (Acts 7:2,3) It was by God’s initiative, and revelation to Abraham, that faith was born in his heart, a faith that was so clearly based upon the true, and precise knowledge of who God was, that Abraham obeyed the command of God and left the land of his family and acquaintances to go to a land that he had never seen, there to receive a promise of God. It was in the course of God’s working in the heart of Abraham, that he learned two essential principles that he would need not only to know, but to live by.
The first was the principle of the “altar.” The altar, though certainly rudimentary when compared to the later alter of the temple that Solomon would build, was more of a “revealed way” of God, by which to approach Him, than a physical structure. Much like Jesus’s words to the Samaritan woman when He spoke to her of true worship, which was not so much a place but an attitude of heart in coming to God, to seek Him and find Him certainly, Abraham would learn that ultimately the sacrifice of Christ was God’s only way to know Him. The altar was a symbol of God’s perfect, and complete, provision for the forgiveness of man’s sins, and the cleansing of his soul. It was also the declaration by God, that by the true worship of Christ, His sacrifice in the shedding of His precious blood, that the provision of God was singular, and eternally sure and complete, so that if a man would truly trust Christ alone to save him, he would know eternal Life. Abraham would learn the central truth of the meaning of the altar, for by it he would worship God, as the sole provider of righteousness, a righteousness that would be given to him for salvation, when he believed. This Abraham did, and so began a voyage of faith, a journey across unfamiliar paths and circumstances, which revealed clearly that the “altar” would remain unchanging in his approach, and fellowship with God. This assurance would keep Abraham steady and true, finishing his life on earth, in a good, and honorable manner, glorifying the God who met all along the way, and kept him true and faithful.
The second principle by which Abraham learned to live was that of the “tent.” It was Amy Carmichael, who once wrote during her long and fruitful ministry, that she had to hold everything, and everyone, with an open hand before God. What did she mean? In Jesus’ teachings we discover that the true disciple is one who puts nothing between his Lord and himself. All that he possesses, and everyone whom he holds dear, cannot take the place of Christ. Christ is Life, eternal Life, “…to know Him is to live.” And as the hymnwriter would add, “…the more abundant life than earth could ever give.” To hold on to something or someone more than Christ is to adore that person or thing more than God. Abraham was not a prisoner of his possessions, people whom he held dear, nor the places where he lived. He was a free man, free to worship, love, and serve God, free to love his fellowman.
Abraham worshipped God by an altar, living free by a tent’s mobility.
Dear Father, Make us true worshippers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.