Genesis 47 - Back to Canaan

God's word is from Genesis 13:1 to 4.

 

“So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.”

Amen.

 

Abraham's Exodus: Famine, Trip to Egypt, and Return

The first thing that happened to Abraham after entering the promised land was not something else, but immediately experiencing the suffering of famine. Abraham, who entered Canaan in obedience to God's will, continuously moved south. He passed Shechem and went down to Bethel and Ai, building an altar wherever he went. But what greeted Abraham there was starvation.  

 

If you were Abraham, how would you have felt? If I had faced such a situation, I would have been somewhat bewildered. He diligently lived in obedience to God's word. And he tried to live as God commanded. Yet, such a person encountered famine. He faced a difficult situation. So, he did not stop on his path but continued southward. Because that direction was land close to fertile Egypt. Perhaps the thought could have arisen in Abram's heart that this land of Egypt might also belong to the land God promised. It seems God had not yet fully revealed the exact location of the land He intended to give him. When Abraham arrived at Bethel and Ai, God said He would give that land to his offspring, but He did not say such things at Shechem. Yet Shechem was also the promised land. Therefore, perhaps Abraham might have thought of the land of Egypt as like the Garden of Eden when going there. We know from the later story of Lot and Abraham dividing the land that the land of Sodom and Gomorrah is described as being like Eden. But before this story, it says that land was like Egypt and also like Eden. So perhaps the desire to go to the land of Egypt, which was like Eden, might have been in Abram's heart.  

 

Thus, he eventually went to Egypt, but there, to save his own life and property, he deceives the people there, saying his wife is his sister. It would have been good if this matter just passed like that, but an unexpected problem arose, and the matter became very serious. Because Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, intended to take Sarai as his wife. And interestingly, the story develops such that the plague for this deed flows to Pharaoh. Eventually, because of the plague, Pharaoh becomes greatly angered at Abraham. ‘Why did you cause things to happen this way through deceit?’ he rebukes Abraham. After that, King Pharaoh sends not only Abraham but also Sarai and Lot all away from Egypt.  

 

Egypt's 'Success'?: The Other Side of Wealth

This Egypt incident has many meanings and lessons that are clearly visible to us reading the Bible now. For example, it seems God saved Abraham, but the person He actually intended to protect was Sarai. Because the Bible states she was the one like a mother who would conceive the offspring of the woman, the Messiah, the descendant of promise, and we who have studied the Bible now know this fact well.  

 

God's Protection: Sarah and the Promised Offspring

However, Abraham seems not to have properly understood this fact. Thus, God saved Abraham by rescuing Sarai, and the reason was precisely because of the promised offspring.  

 

God's Blessing: A Journey of Realization

Abraham, of course, believed God would give him the promised descendant through him. However, it seems he did not understand or know that this work would be accomplished through Sarai. Simply put, he knew what blessing he would receive, but did not fully understand the content of that blessing. Yet, despite this, the point we must pay attention to in the story of today's text is precisely that Abraham enjoyed that blessing.  

 

We usually interpret our life of faith subjectively. We might think that what we experience and realize while living our faith is the entirety of what we enjoy in our faith. However, as we well know, it seems our life of faith does not yield results corresponding to the amount we prayed, or the devotion offered to God, or the faith confessed before God. But the Bible clearly says, ‘He who gives better things than we ask for is God’. Everyone, you believe this word, right? If so, you will be able to understand Abraham's life much better. The amazing point in Abraham's life is the fact that God declared a blessing upon him, and that blessing was entirely Abraham's. And Abraham's life was not about receiving and enjoying new blessings daily or learning something new, but was a process of realizing day by day what blessing he had received from God. That was his life.  

 

You and I believe in Jesus, and might think, 'How must I live from now on to receive more blessings from God?' And the thought arises that there seems to be more blessing for us. But the Bible rather speaks the opposite. You and I are already people living with all the blessings we can enjoy on this earth. However, we are also people who do not realize the blessing received. We even suffer much loss because we do not realize how tremendous the blessing we received is. But please do not feel too wronged. Because Abraham was not much different from us. He did not know all the blessings he enjoyed, but he was living enjoying those blessings. Therefore, the true blessing was not about how much he could possess on this earth, or enjoying the blessing of great descendants and how many children he would have, but the process itself of realizing what blessing he had received from God. Therefore, realizing what eternal life God gave me is truly our blessing - Abraham proves this to us through his entire life.  

 

If this is the true blessing, are you not enjoying that blessing now? Throughout your entire life, what do you confess daily to God? ‘God, I did not know the true blessing of God and pursued futile greed. God, I am a sinner. Now I realize what God's grace is.’ Perhaps you have come this far, praying prayers with such content, stumbling along. Therefore, the blessing of God is not something visible or tangible that we can momentarily rejoice in, but we learn well through the Bible that it is all the time of this life where we correctly come to know the preciousness of the blessing promised to us by God.  

 

What Abraham Realized: God and the Land of Egypt

In this respect, Abraham is a truly interesting person. He didn't even know what wrong he had committed. Because he did not receive punishment from God. Rather, Pharaoh received the punishment instead. Abraham did not properly realize the fact that he could survive because Sarah would bear the descendant, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. But he survived.  

What Abraham knew about God's promise were very fragmented pieces of knowledge. First, what he knew was that passing Sarah off as his sister became an occasion for him to receive grace. We can know this through the actions Abraham took in a similar situation repeated later in the story. You might wonder how Abraham could do the same thing twice, but this story in today's text serves as foreshadowing, and the same second incident occurs when Abraham meets King Abimelech. Abraham, having met King Abimelech, says, ‘And when God had me wander from my father’s household,’ meaning it includes the entire period of leaving Ur and Haran, passing through Canaan, and coming out of Egypt, not just the story after escaping Egypt. Let's continue examining: ‘I said to my wife, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’ That is, Abraham intended to benefit from Sarah to save himself, and so decided to deceive people by calling her his sister. However, the last word appearing in this story is interesting. The word for grace in ‘This is the grace (kindness) you are to show me’ is also translated as love in English Bibles and other versions. Because this word is precisely the Hebrew word ‘hesed’. This word is used when talking about God's covenant love, yet it is used in this text today. We will deal with this again when we get to chapter 20 where this story appears, but it is undoubtedly a very interesting part. Therefore, tracing how Abraham comes to realize and understand this will also be very interesting. Of course, we now clearly know why this word ‘hesed’ appears. Whether Abraham used this word intentionally, or whether he came to think of and believe the entire event as God's promise, we will deal with more detail later, but at this moment in today's text, it seems certain that Abraham did not fully understand all the content of God's promise and grace. However, it is clear that Abraham clearly knew this grace was the grace of giving us the Messiah, the true grace of God. And Abraham is gradually getting to know what this blessing is.  

 

Besides this, he clearly learned two facts. That is the fact that God is much higher than Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. This became very clear. All he did was pass off his wife Sarah as his sister, yet Pharaoh immediately calls Abraham and begins to scold him like God. Pharaoh talks about the wrong of intending to take Sarah as his wife because Abraham deceived him, returns Sarah, and lets Abraham leave Egypt safely. In a way, this Pharaoh seems to have better faith in God than Abraham. He clearly knew the cause of the plague that struck him and Egypt, immediately recognized he had acted wrongly towards God, returned Sarah to Abraham, and sent Abraham and his household back from Egypt. And Abraham clearly learned the fact that this Egypt was not God's promised land.  

 

Restoration of Faith: Back to Canaan

Therefore, immediately upon leaving Egypt, Abraham no longer heads south but now goes up again towards the north, towards the land of Negev. And he goes further north, up to the land between Bethel and Ai. That is, he turned back and entered Canaan again.  

 

Returning to the First Altar: Sign of Repentance

Everyone, do you remember the event in chapter 12 when Abraham left Haran? At that time, God told Abraham, ‘Leave your family, relatives, and father,’ and obeying this word, the event occurred where he left Haran with all his possessions. We spoke of this action as Abraham's repentance. That is, we examined the event of repentance, leaving his past and being transferred to another kingdom. And Abraham believed God's promise, ‘I will give this to you’. Therefore, the words showing Abraham's faith in this chapter 12 were faith in God's promise and repentance.  

 

However, the story of Abraham's faith shown in this event of Abraham leaving Egypt in today's text emphasizes his return to the place where he first built the altar. Let's look again at verse 4. “to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.” He reached the place between Bethel and Ai where he had stayed before, and it says that place was where Abraham first built an altar. We can see the word ‘first’ is emphasized. And there he called on the name of the Lord. Isn't it amazing?  

 

Meaning of Return: First Faith vs. Essence of Faith

Because the word ‘first’ was used. Unlike leaving Haran where he first showed faith and repentance, leaving Egypt has the characteristic that he returned to that place again. And at the place where he first built the altar, he offered sacrifice. He performed worship. He has now returned to his original essence, the place he had left.  

 

From this fact, we can understand the true reason Abraham, who left Egypt, came up again towards Canaan, to Bethel and Ai. It was precisely to return to the place where he first built the altar and call on the name of the Lord again. His faith is now undergoing restoration. The process of restoration, his faith being promoted and moving forward, the first thing that happened in the change of Abraham we are seeing now is not moving forward or going towards something new. Instead, he returned to the first place.  

 

This is slightly different from the meaning of first love, or original intention, etc., that we commonly talk about. We generally long for the time when we first fervently believed in the Lord. This feeling seems greater the older one gets. I too had a time when I first came to possess proper faith. I mentioned this before, it was when I was in the 2nd year of middle school. With friends, I was spending the night praying an all-night vigil on the 2nd floor of the building where the church was. During that time, one friend, while praying, realized the gospel of Jesus Christ there, began to testify, and it seems we who were together then sang hymns together, our hearts burned by the word, and we cried out loud, praying 통성 (tongseong - united voice) prayer. However, on the 3rd floor of the building where the church was, there was a private home, and hearing the sound of a few middle school students singing, shouting, and praying downstairs at dawn, they couldn't bear it anymore and reported it to the police station, and I vividly remember being dragged to the police station. Thinking back now, it feels like perhaps that was the most fervent time in my life of faith. And then the thought sometimes arises, 'Hasn't my faith now become too lukewarm?'  

 

You too, like me, probably remember the times you loved the Lord fervently and sometimes long for those times. Is there anyone among you who married for love? I ask such people: Was your love more fervent during the dating period before marriage, or are you living now with a much more burning love than then? Probably most people feel, 'We really loved passionately then, but why have we become like this now?'. However, try thinking about it honestly. With just that kind of heart from the dating period, how could you have navigated this difficult life? How would you have raised your children until now? How could you have come this far, not abandoning the difficult responsibility called family, but caring for and protecting it to the end? Then what is love? If we know the depth and content of that love, we cannot help but think many thoughts.  

 

The reason I say this is that we often think our life of faith, though seemingly fervent and sincere at first, gradually becomes lukewarm and declines over time. However, perhaps this thought stems from viewing God's work and faith through worldly eyes, and the worldly customs or common sense we possess. If you have entered God's hand, although everyone might feel the difference in speed, everyone is definitely realizing the blessing of God within God's hand. Even though that path may be confusing, stumbling, sometimes appearing utterly pathetic, sometimes facing difficulties so hard they bring tears, the path we are walking is undeniably towards the kingdom of God He intended, which no one can deny. Seen from that point, your faith is naturally heading towards the depth of God's love, heading towards its breadth, and simultaneously, God's love is becoming ever deeper.  

 

Spirit of the Reformation: 'Ad Fontes' (To the Sources)

Therefore, the true meaning of returning to the first place shown in today's text is not returning to the faith first believed, but returning to Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, to God, to His word. This ultimately means returning to the essence of faith. It's not just returning to the place where it first started, or the emotions felt while first living the life of faith, or the content of faith first realized, but heading towards the essence of God that He made known through your life, that Abraham learned through the Egypt incident, heading towards that true faith. We call this ‘reformation’.  

 

Reformation does not mean creating something new, or taking something already existing and fixing it to make something better. This could be the result of reformation, but the true meaning of reformation is ‘reform’, that is, returning (Re) to the original form and source (Form). It is finding the essence of faith. That is why the Reformers called this ‘reformation’ ‘Ad Fontes’. This Latin phrase 'Ad' means the English 'To', and 'Fontes' means ‘Fountain’. So it means heading towards the place where you and I originally started. You can also understand this as heading towards the ‘Foundation’, or ‘Source’, namely the ‘origin’ or ‘essence’.  

 

Beginning of Reformation: Recognizing Departure from the Essence

Therefore, the beginning of true reformed faith is recognizing how far I am currently separated from that essence. Our reformation must begin from realizing how far we have drifted from God's word, how far I am separated from the things God desires for us.  

 

Let's examine Abraham's case. He encountered famine and went down to Egypt. Abraham's action was similar to building the Tower of Babel. To protect what was his, he used his own methods, and also tried to rely on them. He clearly loved God, heard His word, and was someone who left Ur and Haran according to His will. Yet, despite this, he now stood in a different place, having lost his essence like those building the Tower of Babel, forgotten the source. And realizing that was precisely the moment Abraham's reformation began. Although he clearly confessed he belonged to God, unknowingly he held himself at the center of his heart, and although he showed the amazing 모습 (appearance) of leaving his homeland, relatives, and father's house in obedience to God's command, enough to be called the father of faith, in reality, deep in his heart, he still lived placing himself at the very center. God saved such a person through Sarai. God did the work through His method, not Abraham's. However, Abraham failed to realize this fully, and did not clearly know even the fact that God was working.  

 

Reformation of Worship: Examining Our Current Address

Such things are also happening in many matters we experience today. We are far from the essence, and heading in the exact opposite direction, yet there are too many times we fail to realize it. Because the path I am currently walking seems similar to the path God desires. The worship we offer doesn't seem wrong, and our life of faith doesn't seem greatly changed, so we easily feel it's okay to just live this way. Therefore, we can fail to realize that our faith is gradually moving further away from the essence.  

 

Therefore, the story of Abraham in today's text gives us a very important lesson. Abraham, having experienced all these things, returns first to the essence where he started. That is why the text says he called on the name of the Lord again. We can know that Abraham remembered the covenant made with God by returning to the starting place and calling on the name of the Lord. And he realized the fact that he tried to build his own Tower of Babel in Egypt. He learned what he feared in that land of Egypt. He was afraid of losing his life, and afraid of losing his possessions and loved ones. He feared Pharaoh who had power. Speaking in today's terms, you and I love money. Therefore, we fear losing it. You and I are terrified of losing our health. We always fear our end, lest our lives somehow end miserably. Abraham was the same. However, through the series of events he experienced in Egypt, he came to realize in whose hands his life lay. He came to remember the God of the covenant. How was this revealed in his life? He immediately went to the land of Bethel and Ai and called on the name of the Lord there. We see in this scene that he is trying to return to the essence again.  

 

Everyone, when we realize the essence of faith, when we realize how far we are separated from that essence, and when we realize we are missing something in our life of faith, the very first thing that appears in us is precisely the reformation of worship. This is not a simple story about doing worship well, offering it more stylishly and substantially, or putting one's whole heart into worship. This might be a trap we are already caught in. After the pandemic, we argue about which worship format, like online or in-person worship, is correct. This doesn't mean the format of worship is unimportant. It is undoubtedly important content. However, before this, what we must consider is the essence of the worship we perform.  

We know the Westminster Confession of Faith well. And we also know well how excellent models of faith the catechisms are. Three years before this confession was published, the very first thing the many reformers who gathered to create its content did was to write the Directory for Worship. What does this mean? They knew where the most important starting point for reformation lay. They knew that eliminating the numerous superstitions and idolatry within the worship of the time was the path to getting closer to the essence of faith. To help your understanding a little more, I intend to mention the historical facts of this time. At that time, England had the Christian body called the Church of England, and even before this Reformation movement began, they had already created 39 reforming articles in line with the Reformation.

Although political influence was also present, the reformers who led it created quite reforming articles. Not only that, but after that, various reformers, including John Knox, even created the Book of Common Prayer twice. However, the preface to the Westminster Directory for Worship contains this sentence: ‘We have various Books of Common Prayer. That was truly a good thing, and through it, we enjoyed many blessings. However, as time gradually passed, the serious problems inherent in that Book of Common Prayer began to reappear, and as it became formalized, people began to read the common prayer formally in worship, and so we must once again return worship to the essence of God’ – this is the gist of the preface. They clearly realized their current position and the direction they needed to return to. That is why the Westminster Directory for Worship came out again. It wasn't that there was no reformation before. They clearly tried to reform again. And there were several efforts. But the reformers were not satisfied with that.  

 

This shows us what is extremely important for us too. When our Nampo Church was first established in the Gardena and Torrance areas, we advocated starting together a right church, a reformed church, possessing the correct reformed spirit following God's word. So, in various aspects, many reforms were attempted, and perhaps in some aspects, such reforming things happened within the church. And through that, we had many benefits, and many things for which we could thank God. However, perhaps we might be making a big mistake. Although we say we reformed, are we truly continuing that ongoing reformation? Regarding our worship, our faith, our entire lives, are we truly returning to the essence of God, the essence of the Word? We must constantly ask ourselves these questions.  

 

Opportunity for Reformation: Choice After Pandemic

Today, we are in the midst of much fear and confusion. When the pandemic ends and everything returns to normal, will our life of faith also be alright? Can our faith move further forward? Or perhaps we might just adapt to another situation, believing that is our faith, and let it pass. Many things might change in adaptation to the many situations that arose while going through the pandemic period. Therefore, this point in time, as this difficult period ends, could be an extremely important moment for us. We stand at a crossroads: whether to adapt to all the changing situations again, or whether to use this time as an opportunity to find the essence of faith again.  

 

Restoring the Essence of Worship: Beyond Form to Meeting God

Therefore, if we truly desire to walk the path of true worship and genuine faith for ourselves and our beloved children, instead of just thinking about ways to have a comfortable life of faith, the many services we can receive from the church, or various church programs for our children – things we couldn't properly enjoy during the pandemic – I believe the time has come to think again about the essence of faith. We must choose whether we will head towards a comfortable and stable life of faith, or return to the essence of faith and call on the name of the Lord at the place where we first built the altar. Perhaps this will be an extremely important crossroads of choice for us.  

 

If we are thinking about reformation, we must once again examine the essence of worship. Because worshipping is the way we believers live, and because it is the top priority in the believer's life. How much are we truly tasting the glory of worship? Are we experiencing holiness within worship? How much are we experiencing God's glory and amazing love, His mercy and compassion, and the history of salvation He shows us? We must think seriously.  

 

True Blessing Beyond Superstition

We must consider whether we are merely enjoying the worship we created, whether we are performing worship that pleases us by doing only what we want. I believe this crisis of the pandemic is a truly precious golden opportunity for us to return once again to the essence of faith and the essence of worship. Including myself, all session members, deacons, and congregation members must now seriously think about what the essence of my faith is, why I am here, and what I am pursuing.  

 

Attending worship is an immense blessing. It is a precious act. But if we think attending worship is everything about our faith, or consider it a great deed and are satisfied just with Sunday observance, that is superstition. If you think you are receiving blessings just by attending worship, you must quickly leave that superstition, meet the living God, and enjoy the true love and blessing He conveys. If we still fail to experience the power of the cross of Jesus Christ, which pierces through any situation and rescues us, then we might not be in the essence of worship but inside the shell.  

 

Three Questions for the Worshipper

Therefore, so that we are not deceived by this superstition, I hope you always ask yourselves at least three questions before attending worship.  

 

1. Do You Love the Lord? The first is the word the Lord spoke. ‘Do you love me?’ This is the same question Jesus asked Peter. And this is also the question God asked, appearing in Abraham's life, which we have examined so far. Do you love Jesus? Why did you come to this church sanctuary? Did you come to hear a graceful lecture? Did you come to give rest and relaxation to your tired body and mind from the week? All are good. But first, there is something we must ask ourselves. ‘Do I truly love the Lord?’.  

 

2. Is God My King? The second question you should ask yourselves in this place of worship is, ‘Is everything I have God's? Is God truly my king?’ Kneeling in this place, bowing our heads to pray and listen to the word, singing praises loudly and attending this worship – ask yourselves if all this is because I acknowledge God is my king and God rules over me. Is the kingdom of God present in you, are you striving to live within that kingdom, and does that kingdom of God become your precious boast?  

 

3. Where is My True Comfort? Finally, the third question I request you ask yourselves. ‘At the final moment of my life, where will I obtain peace and comfort?’ If it is money, you should not be here at this precious time but go out to earn money. If it is health, you should exercise at this time to take care of your health. But if your peace and comfort lie in Jesus Christ, you will have to entrust your life to Him.  

 

Abraham's Value: God's Tent, Not Pharaoh's Court

Reformation did not start in Pharaoh's court, but started and was accomplished in God's tent. Abraham certainly became rich due to the events experienced in Egypt. Today's text clearly states it. Abraham eventually possessed gold and silver. At that time, possessing such treasures meant achieving a status almost like a king. Then, a person's wealth was evaluated by the number of livestock they owned. But possessing gold and silver, not livestock, means becoming someone like America in the era using the dollar as the key currency, printing money as desired. Besides that, he also possessed the spoils given by the king of Egypt. However, what Abraham valued was not the court of Egypt or his possessions. What he valued was God's tent, and the very moment he called on God's name there.  

 

Beginning and Completion of Reformation: From Abraham to Christ

This is precisely reformation in the true sense. Of course, this reformation does not end here, but actually, it begins from here. The beginning of this reformation is returning to the essence of faith before God, and only then will our worship once again be transformed. And we will seriously contemplate not only our attitudes and hearts but also what we should pursue in worship, and how we can all enjoy right worship together. When that happens, we all cannot help but become humble in this place of worship. Because we can finally realize how far we were separated from the essence.  

 

For Abraham, the beginning of reformation certainly did not end here. This reformation was the beginning from that time. For him who returned to Canaan, that land was still a wilderness. And this reformation occurring in him continues up to the story of Isaac described in chapter 21. How he returns to the essence, how he lives within God's grace, mercy, and compassion, how the protagonist in Abraham's story was not Abraham himself, but the offspring of the woman and God – we will learn this through the story of Abraham's reformation that will unfold. Until that time, Abraham's life is a continuation of reformation.  

 

Life of a Saint: Continuous Reformation (Semper Reformanda)

Returning again to know God, returning again to look to God, returning again to find the essence of the Word – this is precisely the life of a saint, because it is your and my life.  

 

Pastor's Repentance and Request for Prayer from Saints

Everyone, therefore, I too cannot help but repent before you. As a pastor, I wish to thoroughly repent. Knowingly or unknowingly, I gradually crumbled away from the essence of worship, began to seek comfort, naturally considered our worship safe, forgot that God's reformation continues, settled for reality, and lived a complacent life of faith – I first repent, starting from myself. Please pray for me, everyone, that I may repent more thoroughly. Please pray for the Session, and for the Deacon Board as well. Pray that they may realize even more what are the proper duties to perform while serving the Lord's saints, helping the saints grow, among the saints. Each and every one of you too, think again about where you stand in the essence of faith, where your current address of faith is, and I earnestly pray that this period becomes one of discovering that altar between Bethel and Ai with Abraham and calling on the name of the Lord. When we call on the name of the Lord again, when we examine the essence again, let us know from where our worship must change, what we must pursue again, and what we must courageously decide again, so that we may once again go on the path pleasing to God – I plead this to the Lord.  

 

I will say this to you together with all the ancestors of faith. ‘Semper Ad Fontes, Semper Reformanda!’ Always return to the essence, always reform!’.  

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray! Loving Lord, we desire to stand again before Your word. We will return to the Word. Let us not forget again the precious missions You entrusted to us and be shaken, but let us also participate together in this amazing ministry of Christ's grace with all the strength we can muster, return again to the essence of faith, to the essence of worship, and thus desire to go again to that place of looking correctly towards God. Let the work of repentance be within us, let us discover and know ourselves again, and realizing that God's great and boundless grace awaits us, Lord, let us not grow weary or give up, but go to the place of grace the Lord pours out. Lord, help us. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!