A travelogue – into the unknown.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the summons to go out to a place which he would eventually possess, and he set out in complete ignorance of his destination. It was faith that kept him journeying like a foreigner through the land of promise, with no more home than the tents which he shared with Isaac and Jacob, co-heirs with him of the promise. Hebrews 11
Abram, at the age of 75, was called by God to leave Haran, a place of security and stability, and to step out into an uncharted, unknown land, but a promised land, even though that land was already occupied. God had promised Abram a land, a blessing and a nation that would come from Abram and Sarai. Believing God’s promises, Abram became a tent dweller travelling south, with no permanent base or land of his own, and so the chapters in Genesis read a little bit like his travelogue. Abram travelled to Sychar, then on to Bethel and his journey with family and flocks would take him hundreds of miles from his first home in Ur of the Chaldeans (now Iraq).
While trusting God and His promises, with the occurrence of a devastating famine in this parched, inhospitable land, Abram feared that he would not be able to provide for his family and livestock, and so travelled to the safety of Egypt. This decision to go south into Egypt was a very human, rational, understandable, and life-saving decision, to escape famine. But God had called Abram to a promised land and not to Egypt. In alarming, and worrying circumstances, God’s promise still held true. Even though Egypt would prove to be a place of trouble, trauma and setback for Abram and Sarai, and there would be challenging consequences in connection with Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid that they took with them, God continued to bless and protect them, bringing them out to a better place, with lessons learned about faith and trust. God’s long-term plan for Abram, Sarai and their descendants, no human error or weakness could ultimately disrupt.
Leaving Egypt, Abram travelled across the Negev Desert, the largest area of desert in Israel, returning to Bethel. It was here that Abram and Lot parted company. This was a difficult separation. Abram gave first choice of the land to Lot, Lot choosing the fertile plains of the River Jordan, leaving Abram with the area around Hebron. From a human perspective, Abram’s land would seem to be second best and far from ideal. But God here renewed His promises to Abram and Abram built his altar of thankfulness. God again promised that all the land that Abram could see would be his, and that his descendants would be like the dust of the desert, so vast a number that they could not be counted. Abram’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars-that were so clearly visible in the desert night sky.
Abram and his descendants would not take ownership of the land for more than 400 years and only after the Israelites had escaped captivity in Egypt. Abram himself would only ever own a small piece of land near Hebron that he purchased for a burial ground. Yet Abraham, the ‘Father of Nations’, would be known as one of the great heroes of faith. Abram had no road map for where he was going and the timing of it, but he stepped out in faith- one step at a time.
Jane Coates