ABRAM'S RETURN TO THE LAND

Genesis 13:1-9

Morning Meditation 1/18/2014

"And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

Abram's lie and the problems it caused with the Pharaoh of Egypt caused him to have to leave Egypt and return to the land that God had given him, i.e., the land of Canaan.

There are some important spiritual lessons that we can gain from the study of these four verses. Let's look first of all at--

ABRAM'S RETURN TO CANAAN

This is a return to the place that God had given him. When a believer departs from the place of God's blessings and goes to Egypt, he always goes down. Genesis 12:10, "And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land."

"Down" represents the lost of fellowship with God. It represents the believer taking off on his own. Instead of "Trusting the Lord with all his heart," he begins, "to lean on his own understanding." (Prov. 3:5).

The healthy Christian places no confidence in his flesh. Paul says in Philippians 3:3, "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." In a day of "self-esteem" and "self-helps" this truth has to be put aside. There is no way for self-confidence in the Christian life. Our confidence is to be in the Lord. So if we have wandered away, we need to come back up out of our Egypt. Next, let's look at--

ABRAM'S WEALTH

Abram's riches did not imply that he was right with God. Neither does accumulated wealth on the part of believers necessarily indicate that they are being blessed more than other believers. There are two important points to be considered:

1. Wealth can cause one to backslide and lose his fellowship with the Lord. In this case it is the source of the trying of his faith. A lot of people flunk this test. 1 Timothy 6:9-10, "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

2. Wealth can be a blessing to the one who has the gift of giving. 1 Timothy 6:18, "That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;" The words "distribute" and "communicate" means to give to others who have need. Romans 12:8, "Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness." Here the giver is listed as a spiritual gift. So God gives some wealth and then gives them the gift of giving and in this case wealth can be a real blessing in the family of God.

Next, let's look at--

ABRAM'S RETURN WAS TO THE ALTAR

Genesis 13:3-4, "And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD."

There is no altar mentioned in connection with Abram in Egypt. This is also true of believers who "go to Egypt" and begin to operate carnally. They may go to church but there is no altar there for them. The only way for a person to maintain fellowship and communion with God is to stay in fellowship by dealing with sin regularly and submit to His Lordship daily.

Abram came back to God at the Altar and was restored to fellowship and blessing. God blessed Abram abundantly in the land. He accumulated more wealth and the land was just as God had told him. It was a land flowing with milk and honey.

Are you at the place of God's calling for your life? Have you an altar there? Serving is a matter of choice. We must stay in constant communion to serve God. We must reject the things that hinder in the race we are running. It may seem like we are giving up a lot, but the fact is, we are laying away treasures in heaven. There we will enjoy them forever.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White