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 5

This entry was posted on 10-16-2009 and is filed under ALTARS.

Someone has said that our God is the God of the second chance. Abram prospered while he was in Egypt, but God did not appear to him while he was there. Nor is there a record of Abram building an altar in Egypt as he had done (twice) in Canaan. Remember, both Egypt and Canaan were lands occupied by pagans (those who did not worship the one, true God). Eventually he returns to southern Canaan and by this time he was as wealthy as a Texas cattle baron who plays the stock market for the Bible says he had become rich in cattle, silver and gold (Gen. 13:1). But then notice what happens...

"And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD" (Gen. 13:3,4 NKJV). What is happening here? I think that Abram is returning to his roots. Why does he come back to Bethel? Perhaps because of a longing in his soul to restore that relationship with God. He did not stop in Hebron or Jerusalem. He made a beeline for Bethel. I would like to think that he went back to Bethel to start over again. He arrives at Bethel and the altar is still there. Can you see him kneeling, perhaps in contrition, and beseeching God? What did he pray? I don't know but we can always wonder or imagine. Surely we can see ourselves in his position, place and posture. For there are times when we have lapsed in our faith too. There are times when we need to return to the altar - that relationship we once had with God. Do not forget that Christ is our altar and He will always be our Bethel ("house of God") where we can return in repentance and resolve. Thomas Wolfe said, "You can't go home again." Wolfe was wrong. Christ is our Rock and He never moves. You can always go home again when Christ our Lord is there.

Hymn: "God is calling the prodigal, come without delay; hear O hear Him calling, calling now for thee. Though you've wandered so far from home, hear His loving voice calling thee. Calling now for thee; O weary prodigal come. Calling now for thee, O weary prodigal come" (Charles Gabriel)