# 101 There He Built An Altar

The Book of Genesis Day 101 Ge 12:5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. For reasons unknown, Terah, Abram, Lot, and Sarai tarried at Haran. It was Terah’s original intent to travel to Canaan, but for some reason, he decided to stay at Haran, and he died there before he could move on to Canaan. After his death, Abram, Lot, and Sarai took all their possessions and all the people (servants) they had acquired in Haran and took off for Canaan. We are not told how Abram knew it was time to leave, we just knew he went, and we trust that God somehow guided His way. Abram’s first stop was Shechem at the terebinth tree of Moreh. The mention of the tree tells us that this was likely an easily identifiable place. This tree stood out from its surroundings! This tree is referred to in other places in Scripture. For instance, Jacob buried the foreign gods and the earrings that his household had accumulated under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem. (Gen 35:4) The terebinth trees of Moreh are also mentioned by Moses as he tells the people about the land they are about to conquer. (Dt 11:30) This was a place that stood out and a natural place for Abram to stop! It becomes a SUPERNATURAL place as the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants (that word out to perk up the ears of the childless Abram!) I will give this land!” What a marvelous promise. The barren Sarai and Abram would one day have children and those children would own this land! And so Abram built an altar to thank the Lord and serve as a reminder of this great promise to him and others who would follow! Yes, this was a special place, a place where a divine promise was made. It was a place of confirmation! Abram could now move on, for he knew he was on the right path. This was indeed the land that God had promised to show him. How precious it is when the Lord’s sweet confirmation comes to us. Why it’s enough to make you want to build an altar and worship! I have a folder in my computer that I call “Standing Stones.” In this file I have recorded the times that the Lord has confirmed a promise to me. It is a great file to keep because when I am overcome by doubt, I can simply open the file and be reminded of God’s faithfulness. If you don’t have a similar file or journa,l or notebook, may I encourage you to start one? Pray! Thank You Lord for those times when we need to hear from You with some sort of sign that we are on the right track, and You give it! Let us pause often and thank You for Your guidance in our daily lives.