Trust and Service (Another perspective) 2

My name is Oscar and I have written once before of my recollections of an amazing journey I undertook with my employer’s servant, a man named Eliazer, who had been charged by our master Abram to find a wife for his son Isacc, a journey I undertook as an old camel who had been called back into service from retirement because of “my experience.” You can read this story here, at http://blog.steveford.me.uk/2011/03/trust-and-service-another-perspective.html.

I would like to recount another story my grandfather told me about which took place at the beginning of his employment with Abram.

His recollection started in a place called Haran, a town 600 miles north west of a place called Ur of the Chaldees, an ancient siemetic speaking nation which existed between late 10^th and early 9^th century BC and who were eventually absorbed into Babylonian.

Haran was a trading route from Ur to the Mediterranean, east to west, and the people shared the same deity, the moon god nanna or sin. For some reason my master’s family had moved from Ur to Haran and on the death of Abram’s father, Terah, Abram decided to move on, I say Abram decided but he says he was told by God to leave all that was familiar “and go to a land that I will show you.”

As a mere camel I am unsure and confused by this notion that you humans sometimes appear to have this “in built” need or desire or compulsion to attribute your actions to some higher authority, we animals just live and die, but you humans seem to have this hard wired third dimension, a dimension of spirituality, hence you need to worship anything that gives you satisfaction or security.

Oh I do prattle on so much, where was I? Oh yes, recounting my grandfathers story of the journey he undertook with our master Abram.

It seemed strange to my grandfather at the time why Abram found it necessary to break with the tradition of worshipping this ancient moon god, nanna, and start to explore a creator God. It would appear that Abram was not gaining a lot of “spiritual refreshment” from the popular and accepted worship to nanna but was increasingly seeking and developing a deeper more dimensional meaning and understanding of one true God, a creator God who required His subjects to worship Him in “Spirit and Truth.” So our master Abram began to live by faith and not by sight, something that would stand him in good stead in the years that would follow.

Well I digress, lets get back to the recounting of my grandfather’s story. Just so you have some facts to help you understand the context, my grandfather was acquired as a young working camel to join Abram’s team as he obeyed God’s voice which had said to him “get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land I will show you.” A journey that was going to be life changing and transforming, not only for Abram and his closest companions but also for my grandfather, one of his trusted workers.

It was a task and a half I tell you, my grandfather said, packing up all the possessions accumulated by Abram in Haran to begin our journey south west on instruction from our master, who in turn was following instructions, well more like a whim really, based on some words that Abram said God told me, “Leave your country and go where I show you”, not really very responsible I hear you say.

Anyway packing up took us days to organise, Abram you see, was comparably rich and successful. This creator God that Abram had started to believe and trust in appeared to have really blessed him with possessions and servants, yes we called ourselves servants but really we were his employees. We were happy to serve this God fearing, righteous man and thankful for the security his employment provided for us, so we, including us camels, were happy to be called servants, it was an honour to work for such a man, a man who trusted God and lived a righteous life.

There was much excitement amongst us all, especially us camels as we heard that we were preparing for a journey to a land of green fields and plenty of water, what more could a camel ask for?

There I go again, off on a prattle that deters me away from my recollections, memory and age just don’t go together, where was I? Ah yes, packing up the caravan (that’s what we called our group of camels) ready for our journey heading who knows where.

You see God, the mysterious figure that Abram believed in, and in whom he had complete faith, while all his contemporaries believed in many different gods, was the thing that set him apart from everyone else around him. He believed and trusted in one true God and was prepared to set out on a journey, not knowing where he was going, other than ‘a word from God’ which said “get up and go, leave all you know and trust me and I will bless you.” Not many people did it then and I guess not many people will do it in the future. I suppose you have to be pretty simple or pretty stupid?

To us it appeared a bit of a whim, yet to Abram it was obedience, he had no idea what was before him, if he did he may never have started this journey, but hey, you know what? I am so glad he did. I for one have a story to tell and I am sure others do as well, all because this one man was obedient to God.

You know that Abram was 75 years old when he set out on this journey don’t you? I mean it put us younger ones to shame. I for one was a young camel and a lazy one at that, I had grown accustomed to always having what I wanted, never had to take any responsibility for my actions. Life was easy, I was looked after and fed well, I had no need to over exert my self. I could sit around and watch all those adult camels going about their daily grind and all the young camels playing their games. What a life!

Little did I know that my adolescent life was about to change, I was going to enter the grown up male world which I should have entered when I was weaned from my mother some 10 years earlier. What a shock, suddenly I found myself having to do back breaking work, carry loads meant for experienced camels and go days without water. My father used to say this was man’s work not meant for boys and I suppose I should have entered it sooner instead of believing the lie that I could exist without taking any responsibility.

Well, off we set and after what seemed like days we arrived at Shechem a place in the hill country of Ephraim. It was here that we witnessed some kind of “spiritual awakening”, well Abram did anyway. Abram appeared to become so certain that “The Lord” had promised him all he could see. What I witnessed was a man who, whilst on the one hand appeared grateful and offered a sacrifice, yet on the other hand there seemed to be a restlessness about him, so off we set again to make our camp, of all places between Bethel and Ai, well I ask you, who would camp in no man’s land between the house of God (Bethel) and ruin (Ai), but, you know this is exactly where God wanted Abram, a place where he would have to trust Him implicitly for his very survival, you see, there where Canaanites living here as well, they could have over run us at any time. As I observed all this I began to realise that this God of Abram was someone who wanted to care and trust for those who obeyed and put their trust in Him.

It is difficult to say how long we were there but what I do know is that we were getting rather hungry, a famine was taking hold so my master decided, right or wrong, to pull out and take control, something you humans are rather good at. We mere animals just live for today and make do but you humans seem determined to be in control, I am so glad I don’t have your intellect, trying to work out life's problems. So off we set, heading south towards food, towards Egypt. It was as we were getting close I overheard Abram talking with his wife, Sarai. Well what I heard nearly made me want to vomit. Here was a man I had grown to love and respect and who had looked after me well, telling his wife that she had to tell the authorities that she was his sister just so HE did not get killed because of her beauty, how selfish, I thought, think of number one why don’t you. I actually found out later that Sarai was in fact Abram’s sister, well half sister anyway so may be it wasn’t so bad after all, small lies are not full blown lies are they and God forgives doesn’t He? I thought to myself at the time what is it about this God of Abram’s that just wants to go on loving and forgiving, loving and forgiving, those who put their trust in Him despite their obvious failings. I don’t think I ever did come to a satisfactory answer other than I am glad He does for Abram’s sake and for all of us who were fortunate enough to be called his servants.

Do you know the little trip down to Egypt made a big impression on me as I saw that this mighty God that Abram, my master was engaging with, learning from and learning about on each new day just cared for him and his family in a way that seemed unjustified and undeserved.

So off we set again, after being ticked off by the Pharaoh for misleading him, he instructed his guards and footmen to release Abram and his family together with all, yes all his possessions, I mean usually the top brass would retain something for themselves, but no Abram was yet again being protected by the almighty.

What Abram did next just demonstrated that he knew that God had kept and sustained him and that taking matters into your own hands just does not work. he set out from Egypt and headed straight back to the place where God had settled him in the first place, the place of security between Bethel and Ai, the place that God had promised to Abram that He would give him all the land. Abram did the only thing that can be done when Almighty God steps into our disasters, he built an alter and worshipped. He gave thanks for all that had been entrusted to him from above.

What I saw in this man, my master was someone who believed God and God counted him righteous because of his faith. It gave me, one of his trusted camels a sense of security knowing that my master served a greater master who even cared for me.

My grandfather concluded his story with some interesting words, words I later learnt were written down and would make their way into the the Christian Bible. They are words that I found, when applied to one’s life , give tremendous freedom and enable me to trust in a magnificent creator God. The words can be found in Genesis 13:17 and read “Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”

It would be many years later before this promise would become a reality.

Steve Ford has written about this on his blog site and you can read it by visiting http://blog.steveford.me.uk/search/label/Lessons%20from%20Joshua and scroll to the bottom and read from there upwards.