After the death of Terah, Abram was free to pursue his journey. Now he acts according to the word of the Lord. " And Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him." He reached the land of Canaan, but he did not find it a place of rest, according to the full purpose of the God of glory: " The Canaanite was then in the land." But God reveals Himself to the true heir, and points out the inheritance which his seed would enjoy when there should be no Canaanite in the land. And Abram, now in his heavenly position, erects an altar in the presence of his enemies, worships God in faith, and enjoys communion with Him in these revelations of His grace. " And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him." Gen. 12:6, 76And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. (Genesis 12:6‑7).
Abram is now in his right place, and, as a consequence, God reveals Himself unto him. " There he builded an altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him." This is the place, and this is the power, of true worship. We must be on divine ground as worshippers before the Holy Spirit is free to reveal the glories of Christ to our souls. Canaan is the type of the heavenly places where we are now in Christ Jesus; and our worship ought to be characterized by these two things -I am on the ground which God has called me to, and in the conscious enjoyment of His presence as the spring and power of heavenly worship.
In verse 8 we have the other grand feature of the man of faith-the tent. This was the symbol of his pilgrim character. But, notwithstanding these exalted privileges and blessings, he is overcome, and fails sadly, from the pressure of circumstances. "And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there." Alas, how many have failed under the pressure of circumstances! But this is just the kind of trial to test the genuineness of faith, especially as to its object. If the living God be the object of our faith, He can never fail us, whether the famine rages in our social or in our ecclesiastical circumstances! But it does not appear that Abram even sought divine guidance on this occasion, or spread out his circumstances before the Lord, but goes of his own will into the place of danger; "for the famine was grievous in the land." This is the only reason given for his going to the world for help instead of the living God. But such, alas! is man, man all through, man in every position, man under every possible circumstance; he is ever found to be utterly wanting before. God, and to fail in the very grace in which he was called to excel.
We have now clearly seen, from God's dealings. with Abraham and his seed, that the blessing of both Jew and Gentile is secured by promises, and that, too, without the question of man's condition as a sinner being raised. Abraham knew nothing of law, or of conditions on his part, as the ground of the promise being fulfilled It was by unconditional promise that God gave to him the inheritance. " To Abraham and to his seed were the promises made." It was purely of grace on the part of God, and His faithfulness will perform in due time all He has promised.
But man utterly failed to understand, to appreciate, grace as the ground of God's dealings towards him, and being naturally self-righteous, terms were proposed which raised the question of law-righteousness, and claimed it on the part of God.