“Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock [whence] ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit [whence] ye are digged.
Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah [that] bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.” – Isaiah 51:1-2
When God decides to reference a family to the world, the first thing is to set it apart. That home is set apart from sin, worldly pleasure, and even relatives that will negatively influence them.
God appeared in His glory to Abram when he was still serving idol in Mesopotamia, Acts 7:2-3. God told him to separate from his country, relatives and father’s family because they have been filled with Idolatry.
SANCTIFICATION
The vessels that God will use will be separated from sin and worldly pleasure and joined to God for sanctification.
UNEQUAL YOKING
Abram never had a total consecration because some of his relatives followed him – Terah and Lot. In fact, Abram’s father, Terah, “took” or decided those that followed in that journey and indeed headed to Canaan together with his family. Gen 11:31
The danger of allowing those whom God has not called to be part of God’s journey for our lives or marriage is that they will strife with God’s leading for our lives because they can’t see what God is showing us. Their hearts, filled with Idolatry, will keep lusting after worldly pleasures along the way and this will slow us down. God led Abram and Sarah from Mesopotamia to Canaan but His leading was not for Terah and Lot.
HARAN, A LAND FOR GATHERING AND ELIMINATION
Two things that the bible recorded that happened in Haran; the first was the gathering of substances and soul; the second was the death of Terah. One lesson we can clearly learn here is that no matter a man’s striving to acquire the inheritance that God is showing him, if he keeps company with the wrong team he will tarry and waste time till he forget God’s intentions for his life. You will feel at home in a strange land and you will be satisfied with the human and financial resources you are acquiring.
But why did God wait till the death of Terah before He led Abram out of Haran?
Terah was the head and he decided those who would be on that journey. We can’t say how many years he lived in Haran but his death was key to God setting Abram in motion for the glorious inheritance. Some delays you are experiencing is as a result of the wrong company. It must have been difficult for Abraham to say no to his father.
No matter the recognition, fame, and resources we have gathered in Haran, they do not equate to God’s inheritance and promise of the blessing which He has for us.
MOVING FROM HARAN TO CANAAN
Joint proprietorship was the practice of Abraham and his family in Haran. They had a family business. The bible recorded that, “and Abraham took Sarah his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all THEIR substances that THEY had gathered, and the souls that THEY had gotten in Haran; and THEY went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.” Gen 12:5.
We see at this point that it was Abram that “TOOK” those that will be part of the journey to Canaan unlike at the beginning when Terah “TOOK” those who would go. The family business or joint gathering was another hindrance to the separation from the last relative – Lot.
God led Abraham and Sarah from Haran to Canaan after the death of Terah but Abraham decided those who will go on that journey. Until we give in to God’s conditions we will delay our journey to where God is taking us. Eventually, when Lot finally left Abraham, it was then, not until then, did God showed Abraham the full scope of his inheritance. And the final hindrance to achieving God’s vision for his life was removed.
Prayer Point:
Lord please help me to take heed to your instruction. Let sentiments not weigh my heart down. Deliver me from wrong alliance in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
