"Faith is ... the certainty of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1)
livingwithfaith.org
  • HOME
  • ARTICLES
  • E-BOOKS
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT

Balancing between Beth-El and Ai

5/8/2014

 
Picture

“[Abraham] moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 12: 8).

In the old classic My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) stated that Bethel is the symbol of fellowship with God and Ai is the symbol of the world, but he did not explain this point or develop the idea that Abraham pitched his tent between the two locations.  

Bethel or Beth-El – which means “House of God” – certainly could be seen as a symbol of fellowship with God, and though the meaning of Ai (“heap” or “ruin”)  does not fit the analogy as well, the later history of that unsurrendered Canaanite city  could perhaps be seen as metaphorical.   But whether we see the story of Abraham pitching his tent between Bethel and Ai as symbolic in this sense or not, the principle of  positioning our lives between God’s fellowship and that of the world is an interesting one.  Certainly it need not imply not being committed to God on the one hand, or not being willing to let go of the things of the world on the other; but the image can help us to remember something important.

Often in our lives it is all too easy to pitch our tent too close to one or the other extreme, and we have to remember that it’s not just positioning ourselves too close to the world that has drawbacks. If we attempt to position ourselves so close to God that we have no relationship with the world, we become spiritual hermits and we can neither serve nor influence anyone for good.  Looking at the example of Christ’s ministry – or that of any of the  men and women of God whose story the Bible tells – we realize the impossibility of trying to serve God at a safe distance from man. It is here that the story of Abraham comes into play, because if we extend the analogy, the patriarch did not just put himself in a comfortable position between God and man and then try to compromise with both – the account tells us: “… there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.”  This is the balance that the servant of God must keep in mind:  that we camp near enough to our neighbors to be able to serve them, but that our allegiance is dedicated, like Abraham’s altar, wholly to God.

Ultimately, as is always the case, analogies do not prove anything; but if they can help us to remember an important principle of Christian living or to balance our lives more effectively, then they serve a worthwhile purpose.  In this case, we can remember where Abraham pitched his tent the next time we face the question of whether we should be close enough to our neighbors to actually help them.


Comments are closed.

    BLOG

    Follow @livingbelief

    RSS Feed

    For a smart browser-bookmark showing new blog postings, click on the RSS Feed icon.  

    Author :

    Unless otherwise stated, blog posts are written by R. Herbert, Ph.D.,  who writes for a number of Christian venues – including our sister site: TacticalChristianity.org
    ​
    For more about us, see our About Page.

    Categories :

    All
    Behind The Stories
    Bible Study
    Biblical Concepts
    Books Of The Bible
    Christianity & Culture
    Christian Living
    Dealing With Doubt
    Discipleship
    Encouragement
    Faith Hall Of Fame
    Faith & Trust
    Faith & Works
    Family
    Fellowship
    Forgiveness
    Giving
    God
    Gratitude
    History & The Bible
    Hope
    Knowledge & Wisdom
    Love
    Persecution
    Prayer
    Relationships
    Scripture In Question
    Spiritual Growth
    The Christian Calling
    The Christian Faith
    The Life Of Jesus
    Truth
    Works Of Faith

    Archives :

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Community :

    Picture
    - Charter Member -
© 2014 – 2022 LivingWithFaith.org