Thought for Today
Genesis 1:9 And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.
Genesis 28:4 May he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien-- land that God gave to Abraham."
Matthew 2:21 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
Acts 13:17 The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.
Greta and I just returned from an amazing trip. Our son, daughter-in-law and grandson planned the trip and accompanied us. For 10 days we journeyed together, first to London, England and then to Scotland. Our daughter-in-law made all the detailed plans and reservations. She prepared an exceptional brochure for us with a day-by-day itinerary, including pictures. My only comment on the job she did is that had General Eisenhower had her on his staff, D-Day and the Invasion of Normandy would have gone much smoother! Our son is an experienced European traveler and he guided us through airports, train stations and even drove our rental car on the lefthand side of the road through highways, byways and even rotaries. My (yes, Greta’s also, but I’ll let her do her own bragging) grandson patiently walked and talked with us, carried most of our baggage . . . and even politely laughed at my jokes. My first thought on the whole experience is, to paraphrase the words of the immortal Dizzy Dean, “It ain’t bragging if you can do it” by saying, I’m not bragging, they really did do it.
The U.S.A. is truly a land of immigrants. Some, whom we now refer to as Native Americans, arrived first. Whether by the Bearing Sea Ice Bridge, the canoes of the Pacific Islanders, the roving Norse who went Viking, or the western Europeans who sought the lands of the Western Hemisphere, our ancestors all came as immigrants. Our daughter-in-law and my own family have ancestral ties to Scotland. For us, this was a trip to the lands of our ancestors. Today, and during the trip itself, I could not avoid thinking of the prominent role land plays in the Bible. From the Creation narratives in Genesis to the very last page of Revelation, there is a close connection among God, God’s children, and the land. One of the first phrases I ever heard in Hebrew was Eretz Israel, the Land of Israel.
The Exodus story, much of Joshua and Judges are about the promise of the land, the acquiring of the land and the settlement of the land. Our ancestors-in-the-faith felt a deep and tribal connection to the land. Each of the 12 tribes was allotted a specific acreage, each family within each tribe had its own allotment. Each allotment was handed down from father to son, staying within the family. Detailed laws were included for occasions when there was not a male heir. The pattern “Primogeniture (/ˌpraɪməˈdʒɛnɪtʃər, -oʊ-/) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relative. In most contexts, it means the inheritance of the firstborn son (agnatic primogeniture); it can also mean by the firstborn daughter (matrilineal primogeniture), or firstborn child (absolute primogeniture).” (Wikipedia)
Many countries today, including the U.S.A. do not legally mandate primogeniture and allow other, legal distribution of property. Most estate planners (wisely) recommend preparing detailed wills specifying one’s wishes in terms of inheritance. Irrespective of the legalities of the issue, for many of us there remains an attachment to the lands of our ancestors. I have been dissuaded from my long-held opinion that the Garden of Eden was in East Texas. I now live happily in New England. But, having spent 70+ years in East Texas, I will always love and miss the Gulf Coast, the Big Thicket and the sprawling reach of Houston.
Now, I can only imagine the emotions of my earliest ancestors who came to the Americas in search of a new life. They must have always missed the braes, the lochs and the land of Scotland. Thanks to our son, daughter-in-law and grandson, I have a new appreciation for the reasons why. And, I have a new understanding and appreciation for our ancestors-in-the-faith who love Eretz Israel and felt that visceral connection to that land.
Stay safe, love all the lands God created, trust God,
Pastor Ray