The Calling of Abraham (11)

Rev. J.B. Zippro, Grand Rapids, MI

Abram returns to Canaan

The Lord is faithful to an unfaithful people. He is always the first One but also the last One. This is what can be seen in the life of Abram. The Lord is faithful in spite of Abram’s unbelief, unfaithfulness, and in spite of his trusting in man and his own flesh. If man is left over to himself, even a man with grace, oh, then it would be a lost cause. We can see that so clearly in this part of the life of Abram when he came from Egypt and returned to the promised land.

We considered this in the sad history which spoke of his pretending that Sarai was his sister. He did this out of weakness and because of the fear of man. We may not make a hero of Abram as some want to do although it is true that he was a hero of faith, but what did he say of himself? He said that he was only dust and ashes in himself (Genesis 18:27). If flesh is sitting on the throne (so to say), then our fathers said that there is very little difference between a man of grace and a man of the world. Abram was God-fearing, but even in the lives of God’s people there can be times that there is more fear of man than true fear of God.

There are people who can always believe, who can always glorify God and confess His name. Of course, only the Lord can judge the heart, but we doubt whether those who speak in such a manner know of a true trusting in the Lord because there is a people on earth who know something of the strife between the flesh and the spirit. Paul writes about this in his letters; these were written not only for himself but for all the children of the Lord. There is a continuous strife between flesh and spirit which we see also in the life of Abram. When flesh has the upper hand, then we fear the face of our worldly enemies. When Peter was in the hall of Caiaphas, he feared the handmaid. Where was his confession at that time? Where was his faith? It is the same here, but now the wonder is that the Lord does not put us to shame in spite of all of our unfaithfulness, weakness, and foolishness. The Lord remains the same for His children, and the Lord brings Abram back to the land of promise.

After this sad history, the Lord could have said, “Abram, if it is your desire to follow that way, then I will leave you, for I cannot use you anymore, and you can find things out for yourself.” It would have been just, eternally just, if the Lord would have left him over to himself because it was wrong for him to say that Sarai was his sister. Oh, into what danger Abram brought himself. This may also happen in a marriage when we are so far from the Lord and also from each other that we can desire to sacrifice our own wife to protect ourselves. This is what Abram did when he placed his wife in such a dangerous situation in the court of Pharaoh.

The Lord is such a wonder-doing God for Abram, for He brought him back and stood up against Pharaoh for the sake of Abram and Sarai and brought plagues upon Pharaoh. We can here observe God’s care and how the Lord even blessed him in this way. This is not what he deserved, but the Lord brought him back, out of Egypt, and on that return journey he passed by all those different places where he had not exercised faith but where he had proposed the lie, “Say you are my sister.”

When the prodigal son returned to his father’s house, he also passed by all the places of which he had to be ashamed but where he could consider the goodness of the Lord; so it was with Abram. We can compare it to the life of Jacob when he had to go to Egypt because of a famine, and we can compare it to the life of Naomi when she returned from Moab. Why did she travel to Moab? It was because there was a famine in the land just as it was in the days of Abram. Even though it was true that Naomi left Canaan because of a famine, there was also a time that she returned. How did she return? With shame, and she was not the same Naomi that had left but one who had to say, “Call me Marah” because of all of the troubles and shame, notwithstanding all that the Lord had done for her.

We see this with Abram. He returned with shame but in complete adoration of God’s goodness and faithfulness. There we see him go to the South with his wife and all that he had, “and Lot with him” (Genesis 13:1). Lot was Abram’s nephew, but Abram spoke of him as a brother. We know that Abram was the son of Terah, and Terah had two other sons, Nahor and Haran. Haran had a son whose name was Lot; therefore, he was a nephew to Abram. There was a family tie, and Lot went with Abram, bound together as brothers, sharing not only the difficulties but also the blessings and promises which the Lord had given unto Abram. “I will bless thee,” the Lord said to Abram and his seed. Lot was privileged to share in those blessings. Matthew Henry says in his commentary, “It is wonderful if we may be in the company of God’s people. Then we also may share in the blessings of the Lord.” Ruth went with Naomi, for it was her desire and her longing to be in the company of God’s people and to know that same God.

Lot went with Abram into Egypt, but he also returned with him. They journeyed together to the south of Canaan, but they did not remain there. It can be seen in Abram’s life that he never stayed in one place for a long time. He was a sojourner; he was a pilgrim and lived in tents. He did not seek a place here below, but he went from place to place. He left the south of Canaan and traveled to the North, the place from which he had come. The Lord brought him back. What a wonder. Sometimes the Lord brings His people back to places from which they have come; in this way He desires to show them that He is a faithful Protector, that He is the same in spite of all the changes which have taken place in their lives. What is man? Today it is this, and tomorrow it is something else, but the Lord remains the same.

We can see this in the life of Jacob when he had to return after being in Mesopotamia for twenty years and the Lord directed him to return to Bethel. Here, we already hear of the name Bethel, but prior to this, the name of that place was Luz. Bethel means house of God, and now Abram returned to that place. Why did he return? It was because the Lord appeared there and revealed Himself to Abram; he had enjoyed sweet communion with the Lord. God’s people can also have times in their lives that they have a longing to return to where the Lord revealed Himself to them at an earlier time. Do you know those places?

The Lord is not bound to time or place, but there can still be a longing to be led to where the Lord has revealed Himself—those places where we experienced that we became nothing but unworthy, guilty sinners and where we were brought into that low station before Him but also into that sweet communion with His Spirit. There our hearts were filled with love, and we were enabled to bring our needs before the Lord in prayer.

At times we can be so prayerless and live so far from the Lord, but we may still have the memory of those sweet places where the Lord revealed Himself unto us. Abram now returned to Bethel, the place between Bethel and Hai where earlier he had built an altar unto the Lord. Was that altar still there? We do not read of it, but perhaps not, for the Canaanites were in the land, and they were enemies. They probably had destroyed it, but now Abram was privileged to rebuild that altar. There he stood, close to the altar, and there he was privileged to bring his sacrifice and burnt offerings. □

— To be continued —

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