Genesis 12:6-8 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the Lord.
I like Reeses Peanut Butter Cups! Fortunately for my waistline, I don’t eat them more than about once a year. But these two flavor do go great together, just like the commercials say. Peanut butter and jelly go well together on bread, and it brings back good memories from childhood. So does just about anything with bacon! But again, I am glad I don’t eat that too often.
Sometimes in Scripture there are things placed together by the authors to draw our attention to them. They pair things in order to help us make the connection between the current events of the narrative and the past. It is one of the literary devices that help to structure the text itself.
Our text contains one of those pairings. We read in this section of Genesis 11:27-25:11 when “great tree(s)”, the pitching of his tent, the building of an altar, the mention of hills, and calling on the name of the LORD all seem to be put together. Sometimes it is all elements, and sometimes just some of them, but they are a detail that seems to almost be out of place in the story.
Important things happen at these moments in the text. In our text today, Abram has just received a reconfirmation of God’s blessing. He had followed his father out of from their ancestral lands in modern day Iraq, to the current day state of Israel. Their journey had been temporarily delayed.
But the LORD called Abram to continue traveling to a place of promise and promised he would be blessed and he would be a blessing to the whole world. Now that is a big promise! He arrives and the LORD shows up again and speaks of the blessing of that land. He was stopped by the great tree. And even though someone else occupied the land, the LORD told Abram it was going to be his.
And Abram’s response? He builds and altar to this One who is guiding his steps. He moves from this first place to some hills, and pitches his tent, builds another altar, and calls on the name of the LORD.
These elements all have connections back to the Garden. The Garden was high, having four rivers that flowed from it. Water flows downhill. The trees of the garden provided for Adam and Eve. God’s presence was there. Intimacy with God was the norm.
If you follow this section of Genesis through Abram’s story, these elements reappear. When they move into the land, Abram pitches his tent, builds and alter and calls on the name of the LORD. When Lot chooses what seems to be the better land, instead of complaining, he finds some trees, pitches his tent and builds and altar. Abram takes his son up a hill, carrying parts of a tree to offer a sacrifice to the LORD, following the LORD again speaking to him and asking for obedience.
Watch for these elements. They show both Abram’s obedience. They show moments when Abram is resting in the provision of the LORD and things are about to happen.
The Arnold Journey 