Road Trip to Canaan (Genesis 12)

Good afternoon Master Cohen, did you have a fine day?

<= = = I did sir, I ate too much for lunch and took a nap, but I feel great now.

That seems to be the consensus in America on how to celebrate; eat too much and take a nap. Do you know you can spot a group of Americans visiting the Holy Land from a hundred yards away, most of the group will be overweight, even the kids. Anyway, today we have a journey in the direction of Canaan to talk about.

The journey from Haran to Canaan was about 483 kilometers, (300 miles for USA readers), headed south along the Great Sea. The exciting part of the journey was fording the Euphrates river with his animals and the people they had collected in Haran.

< = = = What does fording a river entail?

John nodded, "There were very few bridges in those days, so you have to cross the river on foot, or mounted on a horse, or camel. The Euphrates is one of the longest rivers in West Asia. Fording points are generally chosen to be low bank to low bank, as opposed to high bank, a cliff or steep hill. Fording points were often strategically important for military and economic reasons.

Abram thoroughly enjoyed being out of the city, his herds were prospering and Lot wasn't a bad shepherd either. Sarai seemed perfectly happy to go camping with him when they took their flocks to pasture and even though they still did not have children, they were a close couple. 

4 So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. Genesis 12: 4 - 6 NLT

In due time, they reached the Canaan border. Abram was a bit surprised to learn the land was dominated by the offspring of Ham, including Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, Hamathites, Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Rephaites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and more.

<= = = These are nations?

Much more like tribes, or clans mostly, though there are kingdoms with functional government with Egypt as the most advanced. As time marches forward they will become more like nations with kings. And they were not concerned about marrying in their own people group, it was more geographic than cultural, or religious. To be sure, there would be disagreements between clans, but that was hardly a reason not to have sexual relations with members of the opposing clan. Marriage could be a bit complicated in the event of war, best to move out of the area and settle elsewhere. 

<= = = What is the oak of Moreh?

I was hoping you would ask that Master Cohen. First, it is best read oaks of Moreh, or even terebinths of Moreh, it is unlikely there was only one. The terebinth tree comes up multiple times in the Bible, more than 25 times depending on your translation. It might also be called the turpentine-tree, or if you prefer to be precise, Pistacia terebinthus. They grew all around that area, but the grove at Moreh is an example of a thin place. That is a place where the spiritual world is close, or the barriers are thinner, and spiritual encounters are much more likely to occur. We will have an example of that in our next lesson.

< = = = Was it a thin, or spiritual place before Abram arrived?

"Yes," John Comfort replied, "throughout history, people have built places of worship in spiritual places, pagan and Godfearing. When one takes control, it is very common to build right on top of the former religion's foundation. And this is a good place to stop for the day."

Activities

Reading comprehension:

1) The distance from Haran to Canaan is about:

a) 75 miles

b) 200 miles

c) 300 miles

d) 500 miles

2) The biggest challenge of the trip was:

a) Defending from wild animals

b) Fording the Euphrates river

c) Heat stroke and Heat exhaustion

d) Forging for food

3 What is the primary difference between a clan and a kingdom?

a) Clans have tartans, kingdoms do not

b) Clans reject anyone less related than 4th cousins

c) Clans do not have chariots

d) Clans are led by one of two people, kingdoms have governments