Abram slips in Gen. 12:10-20. “He fails under fire” and forsakes the place of the LORD’s blessings. Why do we do that? Especially those in ministry? Famine strikes and down to Egypt (Miz-rai-im) he goes. He tells a half lie, which is a whole lie, that Sarai is his sister. They both have the same father Gen. 20:12, but she is still his wife and she is 60+ years old and beautiful. So they pick up Hagar as a handmaid possibly one of Pharaoh’s daughters, (bad news). Egypt sounds more like ‘misery-im than Mizraim.’ Why is it when we fall, we forsake God, His Word, His people, His place of blessing, and prayer? Why? Conviction, sin, guilt, what? But you know what is great? The return trip! Amen? Because God is always right where we left Him! He never moves. Rev. 2:4, “You left your first love,” not Him!
Now watch this, in Gen. 13:1-4 Abram, his wife, Lot and all that he has returns; Unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning; Unto the place where he made the altar, between Bethel and Ai. With his what? ‘Family!’ “And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.” Listen, ‘Failure isn’t fatal, Quitting is!’ Back to Bethel! Back to the ‘House of God!’ Back to Prayer! Back to the God he left! Back to the ‘Family Altar!’ Back to the Bible! By the way Abram never built an altar in Mizraim – Egypt, never! I wonder why? God was still waiting He never left Bethel! Abram did. He came full circle and so must we, Amen? Rev. 2:4; Matt. 6:6; He left his first love. What was the first thing Abram did when he got back to Bethel? “He Prayed!” “He called upon the name of the LORD!” Sounds like Enosh in Gen. 4:26.
Prayer is simply an address or petition to God by word or thought; simply talking to God, don’t make it difficult, God never intended it to be. Sacrifice is simply the act of offering something precious to God, whether it is time, talents or treasures; and again don’t make it difficult or expensive, it’s the thought that counts, just don’t make it an after thought. Worship is simply to honor, reverence, or venerate a Divine Being; It is a human response to divine revelation. Why is it at church we sing, have announcements, sing, take the offering, sing, then preach (divine revelation) give an invitation and go eat chicken. Shouldn’t we preach first, receive the divine revelation and then spend the rest of the time worshiping God in response to His divine revelation? Just a thought!
Who is with Abram back at Bethel, back at the altar he built? ‘His Family!’ Implant that thought in your heart and mind. The altar is for, ‘Family – Prayer, Worship, Sacrifice.’ By the way, where is Shechem? The West Bank? Bethel? The West Bank! Ai? The West Bank! Hebron? The West Bank! They are all in what the Bible calls the Mts. of Israel in Ezk. 36:1;4;6;8 which Jehovah promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants. Now we move into Gen. 13:14-18 and it would do you well to read that passage a couple of times. V.15 says, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.” Who is talking? Jehovah! Who is He talking to? Abram! How long is this promise for? Forever! (olam) Can God break a covenant promise? NO!
The first thing Abram does when he moves into a new neighborhood is, “Build an Altar” for family worship! Abram builds this altar between Mamre (Hebrew for strength and fatness) and Hebron (Hebrew for communion, association, to unite or bind together). How beautiful is that? The ‘Family Altar’ is a place to grow strong and fat in the LORD and to unite or bind yourselves together and commune with the LORD. “The family that prays together, (WHAT?) stays together.” What is the first thing you do when you move into a new neighborhood? Join the YMCA? Have a party? Find a Wal-Mart? The first thing Noah did when he disembarked from the ark was to build an altar for ‘Family Worship.’ By the way, who is with Abram in Hebron? His family, less his nephew Lot, right! Gen. 13 is a picture of ‘The Spiritual Man’ (Abraham) vs ‘The Carnal Man’ (Lot).
In Gen. 14 Lot takes his possessions, servants and cattle and goes to Sodom which was like the ‘Garden of the LORD.’ Gen. 13:10. (The Garden of Eden) There is no mention of Lot having a wife before he went into Sodom only after he came out, so it is very possible he married a Sodomite, which would explain a lot about Lot. Maybe that is why Mrs. Lot longed to go back and Mr. Lot lost two of his daughters to that wicked, sinful life style. Gen. 19:26 says that Mrs. Lot looked back, the word looked (na-bat) means to gaze upon, to consider. However, in Luke 17:32 the context seems to infer that she didn’t just glance back she turned back to return to the city. Then Abram had to take 318 of his men to rescue Lot from four kings at Hobah and Damascus. The key I believe is in Gen. 14:13; 15:2; and his name is Eliezer (El-ezer) God’s Helper, who becomes Abram’s most trusted servant.
Abram meets Melchizedek king of Salem and pays him tithes of all, 720 years before the law. How did he know? Adam, Abel, Enoch, Noah, etc, did it. If 10% bothers you give 12% of 14% but you will never out give God, never! Why did Abram give tithes to Melchizedek? Because he knew, he had the power to bless him, that’s why! Melek means king, Tsadek means righteousness, the ‘King of Righteousness.’ The ancient Rabbis believe this was Shem, Noah’s son. You will find Melchizedek three times in the Scriptures, Gen14:18 Historically; Psalm110:4 Prophetically; Hebrews 5:6 Doctrinally. I love Psalm 110 Yeshua/Jesus used it to silence the mouths of the Scribes and Pharisees when they questioned His deity. But v.7 says, “He shall drink of the brook (mud-puddle) in the way” He came to this stinking earth and drank out of our mud-puddle! Can you fathom that? Lot never built an altar in Sodom, Never! He lost two daughters to the world, two to incest, two son-in-laws to hell, a wife to lust and covetousness. She didn’t glance back, she lusted, longed after and turned back. Abram also never built one in Egypt and look at the trouble he is about to face. How is your altar? Have you bought some bricks, some mortar a trowel? Have you started to build it yet? Don’t wait for trouble to start because it will come as sure as sparks fly upward, start now, today! “Between The Lines”
“Abba, Father it is hard for us to comprehend why You allowed Your Son to come to this earth and drink from our mud-puddle, when we all deserve to drown in it. But when we see your unfathomable grace in the life of Abram who ran and lied but came back to the ‘House of God,’ to the altar he built and You were patiently waiting with open arms to receive him and restore him our faith is rekindled. Father, open Your arms, draw us to Your bosom, hold us ever so close, that we may smell the fragrance of Your robes.” In Jesus Name!
“Portraits of Prayer in Genesis” (Abram – Part #2)
the scarlet worm 
I very much like the suggestion that we hear the “revelation” first and then worship in response to the revealed Word of God. Makes sense to me! 🙂
I agree with all my heart. When I was a Pastor that was how I conducted my services. That allowed the congregation to worship God in response to His revealed Word. It also gave you much better control of the service time. It was easy to control an over zealous song leader, or long winded announcer, and late comers. Since the main event or body is ‘Divine Revelation’ or the ‘Sermon or Message’ not to diminish the music, communion, the offering, or other elements then everything else needs to envelope that; ‘Worship being human response to Divine Revelation.’ I think we have reversed the order of worship and tack on a sermon at the end when everybody is tired. I have been in churches when I have been given 11 minutes or less for my message because the song leader waxed eloquent and AWANA awards took to long. What do you do with six pages of notes and six minutes? Leave them in your Bible and share a testimony, but who loses? The congregation! Today people want ‘Sermonettes for Christianettes’ 15 minute devo’s without a Bible, on the screen, with pictures, and what ever you do don’t make them think or carry a Bible to Church. Am I preaching? I think I just lost several Blog readers, then again maybe not, a Blog reader means they can read, and want to read, so thanks! “WORSHIP – is human response to Divine Revelation!” Got It? Good!
Again, I agree 100%. Too much “man” and not enough “GOD”. Another watering down that I see today in worship congregations is the electronic, palm held Bible instead of the old-fashioned paper and leather bound type. I have nothing against people having their toys, but I suppose I’m dinosaur enough to think it is important to ‘handle’ the Word of God and to be able to cross-reference, check out study notes, and perhaps jot a note in my Bible, if I so choose. When the Lord returns…will He find us faithful to worshipping Him, to His Word, to Him alone?