ESOCS Devotional 24 February 2024 – Return to God
MEMORY VERSE: “And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai.” Genesis 13:3
TEXT: GENESIS 13:1-END
And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
After the failure in Egypt, Abram returned a shell of who he was. Exposed and saddened, he saw himself in a new light. But God didn’t. God knew who he was when he called him. He knows who we all are when He calls us. We don’t surprise Him, even if we surprise ourselves. We are all, like Abram, a mixture of self-righteous sinner and faithful follower. God knows that. Our righteousness didn’t get us in, and our failures don’t throw us out. It is God who is faithful through and through.
In his return to the Promised Land, Abram retraced his previous path, as he considered the faithfulness of God. He went into the Negeb and on to Bethel. It was a pilgrimage back to his first love. It was a walk of repentance, recapturing the wonder of his previous walk with God. He came finally to the altar he built all those days before. He called on the name of the Lord, exalting Him again in the land of pagans, proclaiming the goodness of the God who brought him out of Egypt.
What can we learn about this return? Simply this: God is faithful to His promises. Abram messed up in Egypt, but his mess-ups couldn’t retract the promise of God. As we saw at the end of Genesis 12, God miraculously delivered Abram and Sarai out of Egypt.
As Abram sat despondently, God was working. So, it is in our life as well. As John Piper said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” That was Abram’s experience. He was aware of the promise. He was aware of his current situation. He was aware of his failure. But God was doing more than what he could see. He always is.
Dearly beloved, leave your past. God is still interested in you. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
- Returning to God in our hearts when we must have worked away from Him by our lifestyle is a good thing to do. But it is far more rewarding if we do not walk away at all. Think about it.
- Lord Jesus, please sustain me in the way of holiness so that I will remain faithful in the ways of God.
Further Reading: Genesis 8:15-end; 9:1-17; Mark 14:1-26; Luke 15:1-10
ESOCS Devotional 23 February 2024
