Life in Canaan
Alexander Maclaren Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.' GENESIS xii.3. These are the two first acts of Abram in the land of Canaan. 1. All life should blend earthly and heavenly. They are not to be separated. Religion should run through everything and take the whole of life for its field. Where we cannot carry it is no place for us. It is a shame that heathenism should be more penetrated by its religion than Christendom is. 2. The family should be a church. Domestic religion. New Testament households. Abram a priest. The decay of family religion, worship, and instruction. 3. The service to God should be more costly than to ourselves. Pitching a tent cheaper than building an altar. Give God the best. We build ourselves ceiled houses and the ark dwells in curtains. Pagans build elaborate temples, but their houses are hovels. Too many Christians do the opposite. 4. Building for God lasts, for selves perishes. A tent is stricken, and no trace remains but embers. The stones of Jacob's altar may be standing yet. The Parthenon of Athens remains: where are the hovels of the people? 'He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.' Permanent results of transitory deeds. Parallel Verses KJV: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. WEB: I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you."