Honey From The Rock

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Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16

"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007

TRAIL OF ALTARS, Part 3

This entry was posted on 10-14-2009 and is filed under ALTARS.

"From there he went on toward the hill 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" (Gen. 12:8 NIV).

Leaving Shechem, Abram moves on to Bethel and builds his second altar in honor of the God who had called him from Ur to what would later be known as the land of Promise. Bethel is one of the most important cities in Israel. In time it became second only to Jerusalem as a place to worship God. Bethel means "house of God" and now you know why. Jacob would later have his vision of angels descending and ascending on a heavenly ladder at Bethel. Twenty years later he returned to Bethel to set up an altar (Gen. 35:2-7). But Jeroboam desecrated the place by setting up a golden calf. Satan is always out to destroy the work and worship of God.

Notice that Abram did more than just build an altar. He also "called on the name of the LORD." When did men first call upon the name of God in prayer? Genesis 4:26 gives us the answer: "At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD." But at what time? In the context it was after Lamech killed a young man and bragged about the deed. It was after Eve gave birth to Seth saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him" (Gen. 4:25). It was after Seth himself had a son. Men had begun to realize their desperate need of God. An old song says, "If we ever needed the Lord, we sure do need Him now." I don't know exactly why Abram prayed or what he prayed for, but it is good to see him calling upon the name of the Lord. I wonder if the Canaanites observed him building the altar and praying to God. I always like it when I see people in public places bowing their heads and quietly praying to God. Abram was such a person. Let us follow his good example.

Hymn: "The God of Abraham praise, Who reigns enthroned above; Ancient of everlasting days, And God of love; Jehovah, great I AM, By earth and heav'n confessed; I bow and bless Thy sacred name, For ever blest." (Daniel ben Judah Dayyan, c. 1400)