We take travel for granted. In my former days as a pharmaceutical salesperson, physicians of foreign heritage told me how long it took them to make trips home. For example, physicians from India would describe how taxing the trip home would be--a 24-hour flight (east or west makes little difference), and yet in 24 hours, they traveled 12,000 miles. Think about that when you view this map of Abram's travels as described in today's reading:
Let's plot out the moves, and I'll have some comments at the end.
1. Ur to Haran (11:31)
2. Haran to Canaan (12:1-5) (Shechem on the map)
3. Canaan to Egypt (12:10-20) (true story--part of this reminds me of a time I saw a guy walk into a pole because he was staring at my wife--lucky for me he wasn't a pharaoh)
4. Egypt back to Canaan
Look at the map scale and consider the distances Abram traveled on either his feet or on the back of an animal. However you choose to measure the map, it was probably difficult to travel more than 15 miles a day, so think of the time involved.
And consider one other thing. When Abram and his family left Ur, they had to know the odds were not good they would ever see the people they left ever again. Unless you're a Native American, your ancestors did the SAME EXACT thing--they left behind their family, friends and language (and probably not willingly, but out of necessity). Think about that--traveling across an ocean, maybe knowing someone, maybe not, unsure on being able to communicate. Why would they do that? I'm guessing for the same reason Abram did--FAITH.
Scott
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