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†. Gen 12:7a . .The Lord appeared to Abram
Exactly how or in what form God appeared to Abram isn't said. God's
appearances aren't always visual. Sometimes an appearance is merely an
audible voice; or a dream, an angel, a burning bush, a breeze, a column of
smoke, or even an eerie glow.
†. Gen 12:7b . . and said: I will assign this land to your heirs.
This is the very first instance of a Divine promise made to Abram regarding
ownership of Palestine; and it probably bounced right off his skull like a
sonar ping. But later on, God will repeat that promise again and again until it
finally sinks in. Repetition is, after all, a proven learning aid.
†. Gen 12:7c-8 . . And he built an altar there to the Lord who had
appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country east of
Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the
east; and he built there an altar to the Lord and invoked the Lord by
name.
Eusebius Onomasticon, placed Bethel twelve Roman miles north from
Jerusalem, on the road to Neapolis. The site today is represented by the
modern town of Beitin, a village which stands on a knoll east of the road to
Nablus; roughly 2½ miles northeast of Ramallah El-Bira.
Ai hasn't really been pinpointed yet but is identified either with the modern
Haiyan, just south of the village Deir Dibwan or with a mound, El-Tell, to the
north.
This is only the second time in Scripture where it's said human beings called
upon God by a name. The first was Gen 4:26. What name might Abram have
used to invoke God? The name Yhvh was well known by this time, and
Abram addressed God by it on numerous occasions (e.g. Gen 13:4, 14:22,
15:8, 21:33, and 24:3).
God's demeanor towards Abram was sometimes that of an officer in wartime
who doesn't tell his troops in advance the location of their next bivouac.
Instead he orders them to march in a certain direction, only later telling
them when to stop and set up camp. So Abram went in the direction he was
commanded to go; not really knowing his destination or the why. For the
time being, Abram didn't need to know the why-- he only needed to know
which way.
Free now from the harmful influence of his dad's pagan idolatry, Abram
revived the religion of his pious ancestors and began calling upon God the
same way they did; and he got his travel orders that way too. Each time he
worshipped at the altars, God told him what to do, where to go next; and
sometimes even shared some personal data along with His big plans for
Abram's future.
Abram was doing pretty much what Adam did in the garden; meeting with
God in the cool of the day; so to speak. Only Abram did it differently
because he was a sinful being, whereas, in the beginning, Adam wasn't; so
he didn't need an altar, at first.
†. Gen 12:9 . .Then Abram journeyed by stages toward the Negev.
"Negev" is from negeb (neh'-gheb) and means: to be parched; the south
(from its drought); specifically, the Negev or southern district of Judah;
occasionally Egypt (as south to Palestine). The Negev is generally considered
as beginning south of Dhahiriya; which is right in between Hevron and Be'ér
Sheva; and as stretching south in a series of rolling hills until the actual
wilderness begins, a distance of perhaps 70 miles.
To the east, the Negev is bounded by the Dead Sea and the Arabah, and to
the west the boundaries are generally Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. It's
a land of scanty springs and sparse rainfall. The character of its soil is a
transition from the fertility of Canaan to the wilderness of the desert--
essentially a pastoral land, where grazing is plentiful in the early months and
where camels and goats can survive, even through the long summer
drought.
Today, as through most periods of history, the Negev is a land for the
nomad rather than the settled inhabitant, although abundant ruins in many
spots testify to better physical conditions at some periods. The east and
west directions of the valleys, the general dryness, and the character of the
inhabitants, have always made it a more or less isolated region without
thoroughfare.
The great routes pass along the coast to the west or up the Arabah to the
east. Against all who would lead an army up from the south, this southern
frontier of Judah presented a tough obstacle in the old days. The Negev is
slated for a make-over when the Jews return to their homeland.
"The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and
blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and
shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel
and Sharon; they will see the glory of The Lord, the excellency of our God."
(Isa 35:1-2)
"Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The
burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the
haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow." (Isa
35:6-7)
Lebanon's glory of old was timber; especially cedars (1Kng 4:33). Sharon
was known for its flowers (Song 2:1) and Carmel for its orchards (Isa 33:9).
How God will get timber, flowers, and orchards to flourish in the Negev
should be interesting.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
†. Gen 12:7a . .The Lord appeared to Abram
Exactly how or in what form God appeared to Abram isn't said. God's
appearances aren't always visual. Sometimes an appearance is merely an
audible voice; or a dream, an angel, a burning bush, a breeze, a column of
smoke, or even an eerie glow.
†. Gen 12:7b . . and said: I will assign this land to your heirs.
This is the very first instance of a Divine promise made to Abram regarding
ownership of Palestine; and it probably bounced right off his skull like a
sonar ping. But later on, God will repeat that promise again and again until it
finally sinks in. Repetition is, after all, a proven learning aid.
†. Gen 12:7c-8 . . And he built an altar there to the Lord who had
appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country east of
Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the
east; and he built there an altar to the Lord and invoked the Lord by
name.
Eusebius Onomasticon, placed Bethel twelve Roman miles north from
Jerusalem, on the road to Neapolis. The site today is represented by the
modern town of Beitin, a village which stands on a knoll east of the road to
Nablus; roughly 2½ miles northeast of Ramallah El-Bira.
Ai hasn't really been pinpointed yet but is identified either with the modern
Haiyan, just south of the village Deir Dibwan or with a mound, El-Tell, to the
north.
This is only the second time in Scripture where it's said human beings called
upon God by a name. The first was Gen 4:26. What name might Abram have
used to invoke God? The name Yhvh was well known by this time, and
Abram addressed God by it on numerous occasions (e.g. Gen 13:4, 14:22,
15:8, 21:33, and 24:3).
God's demeanor towards Abram was sometimes that of an officer in wartime
who doesn't tell his troops in advance the location of their next bivouac.
Instead he orders them to march in a certain direction, only later telling
them when to stop and set up camp. So Abram went in the direction he was
commanded to go; not really knowing his destination or the why. For the
time being, Abram didn't need to know the why-- he only needed to know
which way.
Free now from the harmful influence of his dad's pagan idolatry, Abram
revived the religion of his pious ancestors and began calling upon God the
same way they did; and he got his travel orders that way too. Each time he
worshipped at the altars, God told him what to do, where to go next; and
sometimes even shared some personal data along with His big plans for
Abram's future.
Abram was doing pretty much what Adam did in the garden; meeting with
God in the cool of the day; so to speak. Only Abram did it differently
because he was a sinful being, whereas, in the beginning, Adam wasn't; so
he didn't need an altar, at first.
†. Gen 12:9 . .Then Abram journeyed by stages toward the Negev.
"Negev" is from negeb (neh'-gheb) and means: to be parched; the south
(from its drought); specifically, the Negev or southern district of Judah;
occasionally Egypt (as south to Palestine). The Negev is generally considered
as beginning south of Dhahiriya; which is right in between Hevron and Be'ér
Sheva; and as stretching south in a series of rolling hills until the actual
wilderness begins, a distance of perhaps 70 miles.
To the east, the Negev is bounded by the Dead Sea and the Arabah, and to
the west the boundaries are generally Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. It's
a land of scanty springs and sparse rainfall. The character of its soil is a
transition from the fertility of Canaan to the wilderness of the desert--
essentially a pastoral land, where grazing is plentiful in the early months and
where camels and goats can survive, even through the long summer
drought.
Today, as through most periods of history, the Negev is a land for the
nomad rather than the settled inhabitant, although abundant ruins in many
spots testify to better physical conditions at some periods. The east and
west directions of the valleys, the general dryness, and the character of the
inhabitants, have always made it a more or less isolated region without
thoroughfare.
The great routes pass along the coast to the west or up the Arabah to the
east. Against all who would lead an army up from the south, this southern
frontier of Judah presented a tough obstacle in the old days. The Negev is
slated for a make-over when the Jews return to their homeland.
"The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and
blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and
shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel
and Sharon; they will see the glory of The Lord, the excellency of our God."
(Isa 35:1-2)
"Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The
burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the
haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow." (Isa
35:6-7)
Lebanon's glory of old was timber; especially cedars (1Kng 4:33). Sharon
was known for its flowers (Song 2:1) and Carmel for its orchards (Isa 33:9).
How God will get timber, flowers, and orchards to flourish in the Negev
should be interesting.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=