Tour of the Land – Genesis 12:4-9

GotQuestions.org responds to the question of what an altar is:  “An altar always represented a place of consecration. Before God gave His Law to Moses, men made altars wherever they were out of whatever material was available. An altar was often built to commemorate an encounter with God that had a profound impact upon someone. Abram (Genesis 12:7), Isaac (Genesis 26:24–25), Jacob (Genesis 35:3), David (1 Chronicles 21:26), and Gideon (Judges 6:24) all built altars and worshiped after having a unique encounter with God. An altar usually represented a person’s desire to consecrate himself fully to the Lord. God had worked in a person’s life in such a way that the person desired to create something tangible to memorialize it.”  During Abram’s tour of Canaan, he became an altar builder.

[4] So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. [5] And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, [6] Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. [7] Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. [8] From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. [9] And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. (Genesis 12:4–9, ESV)

Abram’s obedience and faith is evident in his leaving Haran for the land of Canaan.  Does Lot believe in Yahweh, too, and is his faith like that of Abram?  Why else would he throw in his “lot” with Abram.  His later rescue by God from Sodom indicates he was a righteous man (Genesis 18:22:-26).  While in Haran Abram’s wealth has increased, gathering possessions and people (servants) for his household.  Some have estimated perhaps a thousand people had become part of his household (318 of which are capable of fighting, Genesis 14:14).

When Abram reaches Shechem and the oak of Moreh in the central part of Canaan, the hill country, Yahweh appears to him and promises the land to Abram’s offspring.  We may suppose this was Yahweh appearing in human form, a theophany or Christophany, since this was likely the Son of God appearing to Abram (see appendix 3 of John 1:1 and the Jehovah’s Witnesses).  Abram builds an altar here but we aren’t told that Abram offered sacrifice here.  Rather, it seems to be an acknowledgement of Yahweh’s presence at this location and as a aid to worship.  We don’t know how long Abram stayed here.

Abram moves further south to a place between Bethel and Ai, and builds another altar, where, though there is no mention of an appearance of Yahweh, he calls upon the name of Yahweh.  Years later his grandson Jacob would do somewhat the same thing after a dream/vision of Yahweh (Genesis 28).

Abram moves on to the Negev or Negeb (the ‘b’ has a ‘v’ sound in Hebrew).  Effectively, Abram has journeyed the entire length of the land Yahweh has promised would be his ancestors’ land.  He hasn’t explored every inch of it, but he has demonstrated trust in God’s promise that this will one day be his.  In the meantime, he has no fixed residence.  “The author of Hebrews draws on this fact to illustrate that Christians have no permanent home in this earth (Heb 11:9–10).” (NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible)